You must deliver your research proposal to your exam committee and the program administrator at least 7 days prior to your PQE. If the proposal is late or too long, the committee chair may request a postponement of the exam. A student's thesis advisor may review and provide suggestions for the proposal, as long as the final document is the student’s own work.
The proposal should not exceed 13 pages, including any figures and legends (optional) and excluding references, using Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype, or Georgia typeface, a font size of 11 points or larger, and at least half inch margins. Figure legends may use a smaller type size. (Note that sections 1, 3, and 4 conform to the revised NIH guidelines for F31 applications. In an F31 application, section 2 would be shortened and folded into section 3.) The proposal should include the following sections (using the prescribed subheadings):
Specific Aims (1 page)
List succinctly the specific objectives of the proposed project. Two or three Specific Aims are suggested.
Background (6-7 pages)
Briefly sketch the background leading to the present application. Critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill.
Significance (less than 1 page)
Explain the importance of the problem that the proposed project addresses. Identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. Explain how the proposed project will improve scientific knowledge or technical capability in one or more broad fields.
Approach (4-5 pages)
Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Describe how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Discuss potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success anticipated to achieve the aims. If the project is in the early stages of development, describe any strategy to establish feasibility, and address the management of any high -risk aspects of the proposed work. Preliminary data is optional. Any figures and legends should be included within this page limit.
Bibliography
There is no length limit, but you are expected to have read all the papers cited in this section.