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THREAD: What are some writing tips for a successful @Spencer_Fdn Research Grant Proposal?
So glad you asked! ONE: Remember who your readers are. Your proposal will be read by people who are knowledgeable in your field of study & methodology as well as generalists in ed research.
So glad you asked! ONE: Remember who your readers are. Your proposal will be read by people who are knowledgeable in your field of study & methodology as well as generalists in ed research.
Therefore, your writing should be clear and direct. While you may use technical language in your proposal, please avoid jargon and hyperbole.
TWO: Plan writing with your deadline in mind. It's tempting to aim for the next available proposal deadline, but that can lead to rushed and incomplete proposals.
THREE: Learn from your colleagues. Think about partnering with your colleagues on projects. Working with someone more senior may help you develop a track record for getting grants and will help you learn more about the grant writing process.
Similarly, working with people from other disciplines or fields, or people with other methodological approaches may expand your thinking about a topic or issue and make for a more compelling project.
FOUR: Get feedback from colleagues. Sometimes we get stuck in our own patterns of thinking or discourse. It’s a great idea to have someone outside your field read your work. We may not be experts in your field. There may be vocabulary terms that are obvious to you, but not to us.
We always suggest: Think about the colleagues in offices down the hall from you. They may be experts in education, but not in your specific area? Would they understand your proposal? You might even ask one to review it for you.
FIVE: Learn from any feedback you get and try again. We receive about 2,000 grants proposal each year across our various programs, but we are only able to fund between 5-10% of the proposals we receive. However, we do strive to give as much written feedback as possible.
We believe feedback is important to building capacity for conducting high-quality #research. We see review processes as an important professional and ethical service to you and the field of education research at large.
Spencer-funded folks, what other tips or advice would you add on how to write a successful proposal? #edresearch
