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MORE ABOUT A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
We have begun to review statement of grant purpose drafts. Here, we share some common feedback we are providing related to statements for research projects.
First: Audience and Process
During the Fulbright selection process, all applications (i.e., for ETA, research, and study awards) will be read by the National Screening Committee (NSC). This process will take place in the United States in November and December 2024. As Fulbright explains, "Reviewers on the NSC are full-time faculty members of U.S. institutions who have discipline or region-specific experience."
If your application is recommended for semi-finalist status, it is then, according to Fulbright, "forwarded [by the end of January 2025] on to the Fulbright Commissions or Posts in the host countries for final selection." Learn more on the "Competition & Selection" webpage.
Because your research-focused statement of grant purpose might be reviewed by some individuals who know your discipline well and some individuals who do not, it is important that it be authoritative, while avoiding being too technical or reliant on jargon.
Additionally, it must convey that you accurately understand your issue area as it relates to your host country. Uninformed and vague statements will be evident to reviewers in the United States and the host country. (Sometimes, countries will state their priority areas on their Fulbright webpages.)
Second: Structure
Also with the audience in mind, remember that reviewers are potentially reading a number of Fulbright applications.
It is incredibly important that you review your essay draft through the lens of someone who is reading your work/ideas for the very first time and may have limited time overall. Ask yourself:
- Do I provide a succinct, yet powerful background statement that makes it clear for the reader why my research is needed and why my work and the host country are connected?
- Do I clearly state my research question/s?
- Do I highlight my experience and skills to complete this project?
- Do I connect my proposed method (or methods) with the questions I am asking and the data I am hoping to gather/analyze?
- Is it clear how my affiliation site/s will support my work while in the host country?
- Overall, does the information I present, paragraph by paragraph, flow in a way that would aid a reviewer who is new to my work and ideas?
Third: Format
Clearly labeled essay sections are a helpful technique to 1) assist you in organizing your content and 2) present information in a format that is easier for reviewers, who are just engaging with your essay for the first time, to read and process it.
BACKGROUND: The effects of coastal erosion have become acutely felt in . . . .
RESEARCH QUESTION/S: Given this situation, I seek to address these questions: . . . .
To help you get started, here are some possible sections for the two-page, single-spaced (with one-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font) statement of grant purpose:
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Opening/Background: In the opening section, you will clearly introduce the topic of your study. You will then provide some key context about this topic, including why studying it in your host country makes sense. It is definitely a good practice to cite the sources of the information you are presenting. Of course, this is not (and cannot be) a comprehensive literature review. Overall, the opening should establish what is known about the topic and what remains unexplored (or under-explored), creating the space for your project.
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Research Question: Given what you just told the readers, here is the place to state your research question or questions.
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Skills and Experience: Somewhere early in the statement, you will want to highlight relevant skills and experiences you bring to your project. The goal is to contribute to the readers' confidence that you can achieve what you are proposing.
For example, "I have spent the past three years working in a . . . laboratory investigating closely related research questions, and joining this lab would allow me to . . . ." Or "My senior thesis in history is focusing on . . . , and this project would permit me to extend that scholarly work through access to the following archival material in the host country." Or "I have closely studied the issue of . . . through academic coursework and professional experiences in the United States, and I seek to expand my knowledge by investigating a facet of this issue while in the host country."
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Methods: After you give background on your area of focus, state your research questions, and establish the skills you bring to the project, you need to discuss what research method or methods you will employ to investigate your questions. This section must be well thought out. For example, if you plan to interview individuals as a part of your project, here are a few of the questions you will want to anticipate from reviewers and address:
1) Am I proficient in the language or languages necessary to conduct the interviews? If not, what is my plan? 2) Am I establishing how I will conduct this research ethically and gain approval for this proposed "human subjects" research? 3) How will I actually make connections with individuals to interview? 4) Will I conduct structured, semi-structured, or unstructured interviews? 5) Have I thought through a meaningful, achievable alternate plan in the event the number of interviews I hope to conduct cannot take place? (Review this webpage offered by Georgetown's library to learn more about different approaches.)
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Timeline: It is then important, with the understanding that project timelines can and do change, to offer your best and current thinking about your research timeline. For example, "In month one, I will . . ." Or "During phase one (August-October), I will . . ."
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Affiliation Site: Even if an affiliation letter is not required by the October 8 national deadline, we highly recommend that you have at least one affiliation site secured and the corresponding letter uploaded by Georgetown's internal September 1 deadline or the national deadline at the latest. (You can have up to three.) This will ensure that the reviewers, during the National Screening Committee process (again, November-December 2024), are aware that your proposed project already has the support of a host site - contributing to its feasibility.
In addition, this will allow you, in your statement of grant purpose, to describe how the affiliation site will support the project you are outlining. For instance, "Professor NAME at the University of NAME is a published scholar in this area and has agreed to support my research project in the following ways . . . ." (Note: Some countries do not want applicants to reach out to affiliation sites, so be sure to follow country-specific guidance or ask your Fulbright advisor.)
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Host Country: Finally and importantly, given Fulbright's mission of cultural exchange, be prepared to clearly address these questions: How does your project's topic specifically relate to the host country? Why does conducting research in the host country (versus doing the research from the United States or another host country) matter for the success of the project? How will conducting this project in this host country allow you to grow as a researcher? How will you interact/collaborate with the community during the course of your research? Will your project benefit the host country and how will you share it there?
More suggestions for the research statement of grant purpose are available on the Fulbright website. Please review this information closely. Further, be sure your statement addresses any specific questions that a country asks on its landing page for the award type you are pursuing.
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