Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• Timeline: The proposal should include, preferably in chart form, a time-
line for the study. The timeline should be as detailed as possible.
Special Issues in Proposing Evaluations
Evaluations Nested in Larger Projects
Many evaluations are proposed not in a free-standing manner but rather
as part of a larger development project. In this case the evaluation is best
expressed as one specific aim of the larger study. The background and sig-
nificance of the evaluation is then discussed as part of the “Background
and Significance” section of the proposal; the same would be true for the
“Preliminary Studies” section of the proposal. The evaluation methods
would be described in detail as a major part of the “Design and Methods”
section. Under these circumstances, the specific evaluation plans must be
described in a highly condensed form. Depending on the scope of the eval-
uation, this may not be a problem. If sufficient space to describe the eval-
uation is unavailable in the main body of the proposal, the investigator
might consider including one or more technical appendices to provide
further detail about the evaluation.*
Irresolvable Design Issues
At the time they write a proposal, investigators often find themselves with a
design issue that is so complex it is not clear how to resolve it. In this case, the
best strategy is not to try to hide the problem. An expert, careful reader
will probably detect the unmentioned problem and consider the investigator
naive for not being aware of it. Hence, the investigator should admit she has
an unsolved problem, show she is aware of the issues involved, and, above
all, how others in comparable situations have addressed issues of this type.
This strategy often succeeds in convincing the reader/reviewer of the pro-
posal that although the investigator does not know what to do now, she will
make a good decision when the time comes during the execution of the study.
The “Cascade” Problem
A related issue is the so-called cascade problem, which occurs when
the plan for stage
N
of a study depends critically on the outcome of stage
* Some caution is required here if the proposal is to be submitted for U.S. federal
funding. The guidelines for Form 398 specifically state that the appendix should not
be used “to circumvent the page limitations of the research plan.” It is, for example,
acceptable to include specimen data collection forms in the appendix and also to
provide in the appendix more technical information about the forms. However, if
the main body of the proposal says that “the evaluation design is described in
Appendix A” and the appendix in fact contains the entire description of the design,
the proposal will likely be considered unacceptable by the funding agency and will
be returned for modification.
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