description of research project

Your new research website

Building an online presence for your research group that is easy to maintain in the long term, describing your research project.

The goal in trying to improve the web site is to show off the work of the department. This document describes how to write a short piece (extended abstract length) that will allow you to do that. We don’t expect what you produce to perfectly fit the guidelines described here, just for you to keep this specification (and the philosophy behind it) in mind as you compose. If you have any questions at all about this, please don’t hesitate to contact Sunny Bains < [email protected] >.

You should not think of your research project summary as a technical paper, but as an advertisement for your work and your expertise (so that people want to read your publications, collaborate with you, and give you money). The main thing is to get across the importance of what you’re doing, how you are doing it, and the expertise that you and your group have that make you qualified to be able to succeed at it.

However, we don’t want it to be too fluffy. When people within your own field read about the project, we want them to have some idea of how your work differs from your competitors, which may involve getting a little bit technical and/or referring to your publications.

Essentially, you are having to address three different audiences at once. First is a general technical audience (we’ll call it G) consisting of people from very different disciplines: if you are an computer scientist, it may be useful to think of a reader who is a microbiologist. This class of people is important because it includes industrial managers, sponsors, civil servants etc.: people who have technical backgrounds but don’t necessarily have any knowledge that is relevant to your particular work. These are often people who hold purse strings and make employment decisions.

Second is the subset of readers within your general discipline (we’ll call this D): other computer scientists. They have degrees in CS (possibly from many years ago), but their work may be drastically different to yours (for instance, consider someone in machine vision trying to talk to someone working in quantum computing). Finally, there are those people who are actually specialists in your field who want to know the meat of your technological contribution (we’ll call them S).

The formula to please all your audience is very simple. A typical 500-word project description (plus one picture with a short caption and as many references as you want) will normally consist of about five roughly 100-word paragraphs that should be addressed to the following audiences: G, G, D, S, G. For fuller details, the actual content, see the outline—with examples—below.

Finally, as you go along, please think carefully about the publications you want to reference and also, if you can, about any pictures that could be used to illustrate your work. If it’s a diagram and you’re concerned it’s ugly, remember we can have it redrawn for you: the idea is to choose something that really communicates what you’re doing.

Name of the project with important acronyms spelled out  (General technical audience)

Keep it short (ten words or fewer), straightforward, and as free from jargon as you can.

FUSE: Floodplain underground sensors

Short description  (General technical audience)

This is not an abstract, just a sentence or two summing up what the project is about: the whole thing should be no longer than 35 words. It is going to show up in lists and will always be seen with the name of the project above it. For example:

We are creating enhanced algorithms that perform pattern matching for applications like medical screening and biometric identification. Novel coding allows them to operate orders of magnitude faster than current approaches and with a lower false-positive rate.

Paragraph 1: The problem (General technical audience)

Give the context of your work for a non-specialist. To what general field(s) does your work apply, and why is this field important? What could be achieved in these fields and what issues are holding back this progress? Remember to spell out all acronyms the first time you use them, and to explain all jargon terms that aren’t well understood outside your field.

Please write the main text in the active voice where possible, using the first person or first person plural (“we have developed…”). For instance:

Having to use ionizing radiation for body scans has many disadvantages, particularly related to the safety of both medical staff and patients. It would be ideal if we could use visible light instead: it is simple to generate, poses little risk to humans, and can captured easily using electronic cameras. Unfortunately, however, diffusion of light rays through body tissue mean that the images that emerge are unclear…

Paragraph 2: The set up (General Technical Audience)

From the issues you described in the first paragraph, now pick out the ones that directly relate to your work. How have people tried to solve this/these in the past? Why have these solutions fallen short? What is (briefly) your new solution? For example:

There have been many approaches to the development of micromechanical structures with very high aspect ratios. Most of those in two dimensions have problems of low-yield. For instance, with three-dimensional techniques, such as {techniques and problems here}. To get around these issues, we have been working on a new approach called hybrid structure formation (HSF), that attempts to incorporate the advantages of both and the disadvantages of neither.

Paragraph 3: Your approach (Audience in your discipline)

Having mentioned your approach in the last paragraph, you should now explain the basic concepts behind it and how it works. Here you can be a little more technical, but if you use words that can’t be looked up in a basic scientific dictionary, add some explanation. For example:

Neuromorphic engineering—the building of brain-like structures in silicon—was originally conceived by Carver Mead at the California Institute of Technology.6 It is based on the idea that it is more efficient to use the physics of electronic devices to implement functions directly, rather than to simulate these functions using digital algorithms. This is a particularly advantageous approach for building neural systems as the functions that transistors perform naturally are qualitatively very similar to those in biological neurons…

Paragraphs 4: What you’ve done (Audience in your discipline for paragraph 4, moving to a specialist audience for 5 and 6)

This is the most straightforward section of the article, and the one that is least likely to be a problem. Just very briefly outline what you’ve done and link to the papers where people can find out in detail what this has involved. An easy way to think about this is simply to use one sentence to describe the work that’s been published in a single paper, and to string all the papers/sentences together into a narrative. For example:

Our work has shown that, to maximize performance, AI in embodied systems must be optimized for the specific sensors and actuators of each individual body: not just as designed, but as they work in reality.1 Because sensors and actuators are not digital but analogue, this means that all machines, even built to the same specification, will be different.2 This means that the final optimization must take place through learning on the actual robot or other machine that the intelligence is to control.3 To achieve this we have developed an approach called…

Paragraph 7: Summary and further work (General audience)

Without restating from scratch and explain how the work you’ve just described has changed/progressed the problem you described at the top. Then tell us how you think you can make even further progress. For example:

To make the types of three-dimensional structures we need for next-generation batteries and other devices, the use of surfactants as templates seems promising. So far our results have shown that we can easily make structures at the right scale (5-10nm), in the right types of patterns (such as hexagonal cells), and that are solid enough to be viable in real devices. Our next step will be to show that the new materials can be fabricated in large-enough slabs to be useful in macroscopic products.

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How to do a research project for your academic study

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Writing a research report is part of most university degrees, so it is essential you know what one is and how to write one. This guide on how to do a research project for your university degree shows you what to do at each stage, taking you from planning to finishing the project.

What is a research project? 

The big question is: what is a research project? A research project for students is an extended essay that presents a question or statement for analysis and evaluation. During a research project, you will present your own ideas and research on a subject alongside analysing existing knowledge. 

How to write a research report 

The next section covers the research project steps necessary to producing a research paper. 

Developing a research question or statement 

Research project topics will vary depending on the course you study. The best research project ideas develop from areas you already have an interest in and where you have existing knowledge. 

The area of study needs to be specific as it will be much easier to cover fully. If your topic is too broad, you are at risk of not having an in-depth project. You can, however, also make your topic too narrow and there will not be enough research to be done. To make sure you don’t run into either of these problems, it’s a great idea to create sub-topics and questions to ensure you are able to complete suitable research. 

A research project example question would be: How will modern technologies change the way of teaching in the future? 

Finding and evaluating sources 

Secondary research is a large part of your research project as it makes up the literature review section. It is essential to use credible sources as failing to do so may decrease the validity of your research project.

Examples of secondary research include:

• Peer-reviewed journals
• Scholarly articles
• Newspapers 

Great places to find your sources are the University library and Google Scholar. Both will give you many opportunities to find the credible sources you need. However, you need to make sure you are evaluating whether they are fit for purpose before including them in your research project as you do not want to include out of date information. 

When evaluating sources, you need to ask yourself:

• Is the information provided by an expert?
• How well does the source answer the research question?
• What does the source contribute to its field?
• Is the source valid? e.g. does it contain bias and is the information up-to-date?

It is important to ensure that you have a variety of sources in order to avoid bias. A successful research paper will present more than one point of view and the best way to do this is to not rely too heavily on just one author or publication. 

Conducting research 

For a research project, you will need to conduct primary research. This is the original research you will gather to further develop your research project. The most common types of primary research are interviews and surveys as these allow for many and varied results. 

Examples of primary research include: 

• Interviews and surveys 
• Focus groups 
• Experiments 
• Research diaries 

If you are looking to study in the UK and have an interest in bettering your research skills, The University of Sheffield is a  world top 100 research university  which will provide great research opportunities and resources for your project. 

Research report format  

Now that you understand the basics of how to write a research project, you now need to look at what goes into each section. The research project format is just as important as the research itself. Without a clear structure you will not be able to present your findings concisely. 

A research paper is made up of seven sections: introduction, literature review, methodology, findings and results, discussion, conclusion, and references. You need to make sure you are including a list of correctly cited references to avoid accusations of plagiarism. 

Introduction 

The introduction is where you will present your hypothesis and provide context for why you are doing the project. Here you will include relevant background information, present your research aims and explain why the research is important. 

Literature review  

The literature review is where you will analyse and evaluate existing research within your subject area. This section is where your secondary research will be presented. A literature review is an integral part of your research project as it brings validity to your research aims. 

What to include when writing your literature review:

• A description of the publications
• A summary of the main points
• An evaluation on the contribution to the area of study
• Potential flaws and gaps in the research 

Methodology

The research paper methodology outlines the process of your data collection. This is where you will present your primary research. The aim of the methodology section is to answer two questions: 

• Why did you select the research methods you used?
• How do these methods contribute towards your research hypothesis? 

In this section you will not be writing about your findings, but the ways in which you are going to try and achieve them. You need to state whether your methodology will be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. 

• Qualitative – first hand observations such as interviews, focus groups, case studies and questionnaires. The data collected will generally be non-numerical. 
• Quantitative – research that deals in numbers and logic. The data collected will focus on statistics and numerical patterns.
• Mixed – includes both quantitative and qualitative research.

The methodology section should always be written in the past tense, even if you have already started your data collection. 

Findings and results 

In this section you will present the findings and results of your primary research. Here you will give a concise and factual summary of your findings using tables and graphs where appropriate. 

Discussion 

The discussion section is where you will talk about your findings in detail. Here you need to relate your results to your hypothesis, explaining what you found out and the significance of the research. 

It is a good idea to talk about any areas with disappointing or surprising results and address the limitations within the research project. This will balance your project and steer you away from bias.

Some questions to consider when writing your discussion: 

• To what extent was the hypothesis supported?
• Was your research method appropriate?
• Was there unexpected data that affected your results?
• To what extent was your research validated by other sources?

Conclusion 

The conclusion is where you will bring your research project to a close. In this section you will not only be restating your research aims and how you achieved them, but also discussing the wider significance of your research project. You will talk about the successes and failures of the project, and how you would approach further study. 

It is essential you do not bring any new ideas into your conclusion; this section is used only to summarise what you have already stated in the project. 

References 

As a research project is your own ideas blended with information and research from existing knowledge, you must include a list of correctly cited references. Creating a list of references will allow the reader to easily evaluate the quality of your secondary research whilst also saving you from potential plagiarism accusations. 

The way in which you cite your sources will vary depending on the university standard.

If you are an international student looking to  study a degree in the UK , The University of Sheffield International College has a range of  pathway programmes  to prepare you for university study. Undertaking a Research Project is one of the core modules for the  Pre-Masters programme  at The University of Sheffield International College.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the best topic for research .

It’s a good idea to choose a topic you have existing knowledge on, or one that you are interested in. This will make the research process easier; as you have an idea of where and what to look for in your sources, as well as more enjoyable as it’s a topic you want to know more about.

What should a research project include? 

There are seven main sections to a research project, these are:

• Introduction – the aims of the project and what you hope to achieve
• Literature review – evaluating and reviewing existing knowledge on the topic
• Methodology – the methods you will use for your primary research
• Findings and results – presenting the data from your primary research
• Discussion – summarising and analysing your research and what you have found out
• Conclusion – how the project went (successes and failures), areas for future study
• List of references – correctly cited sources that have been used throughout the project. 

How long is a research project? 

The length of a research project will depend on the level study and the nature of the subject. There is no one length for research papers, however the average dissertation style essay can be anywhere from 4,000 to 15,000+ words. 

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Writing a Project Description

When writing a project description for external funding always think of your audience. It is essential to use plain English, define your key terms and cite key international and easily accessible references wherever possible. Succinctness and clarity is key.

All funding agencies have a page limit with 6-8 pages being common. A quality application is readable, feasible and interesting.

The following structure may not necessarily suit all submissions. Always read the guidelines and then read them again.

Don't hesitate to contact your Research Development Officer (RDO)  for assistance.

Project title

Your project title should:

• Use less than 20 words
• Be catchy and memorable.

Project summary

The project summary:

• Is usually limited to 50-100 words
• Includes aims, outcomes, significance and social and/or economic benefits of the research
• Is often best written last
• Should use language suitable for public/press release
• Can be used as a marketing tool.

Consider the following:

• What is the field of study? What is the object of the research?
• Keep aims clear and succinct 
• Dot points can work well 
• Think about the nature of the research – basic, strategic, applied or experimental 
• Ask is it genuinely feasible? Does it replicate work done elsewhere?
• Let the reader know the context of the research issues
• Use subheadings to identify themes and/or other issues
• How do people achieve that objective now? 
• Are there any current unresolved issues in your field? Why are they unresolved or unsatisfactory? How do you think you will overcome the problem/issue? 
• Bring out your knowledge of the field and literature. Let readers know you have the expertise. You are not only selling the idea, but also the researcher and/or research team 
• Include information about recent international progress in the field of the research, and the relationship of this proposal to work in the field generally 
• Define your key terms and cite key international and easily accessible references wherever possible

Significance and innovation

Describe and detail the significance of the research and whether the research addresses an important problem. Ask yourself the following:

• Why undertake the research?
• Will I strengthen basic knowledge? 
• Will I provide the answer to an important practical or significant problem? 
• Does my project have particular resonance for the future e.g. global environmental issues? 
• How will the anticipated outcomes advance the knowledge base of the discipline? 
• What is novel and innovative about the approach I am using? 
• What new methodologies or technologies will be developed?

Approach and training

• Describe the conceptual framework
• Describe the design and methods to be used 
• Explain how these are appropriate and how they integrate with the aims of the project 
• Provide step-by-step detail 
• How will you collect your data and what will you do with it i.e. what framework will inform your analysis? 
• Convince the reader you understand/have experience in undertaking qualitative/quantitative research

If the research work provides research training explain how the intellectual content and scale of the work proposed will be deserving of a research higher degree. If the research training is embedded in a larger project, describe/separate the part that the student will focus on.

Timetabling

This is a measure of the project's feasibility and your chance to let readers know who is doing what. You should:

• Link phases of the research plan/approach with the anticipated timeline
• List any milestones – draft reports etc. 
• Build in any ethics clearances required.

Expected outcomes

Describe the expected outcomes and likely impact of the proposed research. You should:

• Link to the aims – what will the anticiapted results be of what you plan to do? 
• Be realistic as you will be judged on these outcomes 
• Check the University's Intellectual Property Policy.

Communication of results

Outline plans for communicating the research results by thinking of both the users and benefits of the this research. Consideration should be given to each of the following:

• If communication of results will be undertaken formally through journal articles or conference presentations, try to be specific and name the journals and conferences. 
• If communication of results will be undertaken informally, name the interest groups, types of reports, websites, etc. you will use/target
• Media strategies
• Training of students

Benefit of the research

Describe how the research project might result in economic and/or social benefits. Consider the following questions:

• Why are you doing the research?
• What are the expected benefits for the specific industry and/or industry sector? List separately. 
• What are the expected benefits for the Australian community more broadly?

Description of personnel

Summarise the role, responsibilities and contributions of each investigator.

• Who brings what expertise? Which part of the project are they driving if relevant? 
• You should also summarise the roles and levels of involvement of other participants e.g. technical staff, students, research assistants and/or research associates.
• Include a list of all references. Usually these also must be within the page limit.
• Cite only the key international, substantive and easily accessible references wherever possible. 
• Avoid using a footnote system, use endnotes instead.

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How to Write a Project Description: A Quick Guide

A project description seems self-explanatory, but don’t underestimate a well-written project description as it sets your project up for success. It acts as a communication tool for stakeholders and shares the project vision in a clear and actionable fashion.

Let’s talk a look at what a project description is, why it’s so important and how to write an impactful one. Then we’ll throw in some free project management templates that can get you started and show how project management tools help turn the project description into a reality.

What Is a Project Description?

A project description outlines the details of one project, including all its phases and processes involved, in a single document. It addresses the problem that initiated the project and the desired goals and objectives.

But it doesn’t have to stop there. The project description can also go into planning, including the activities that the team will execute, the timeline and even the location of the project. The benefits of the project are also outlined in the project description.

This is done at the initiation phase of the project and will be referred to throughout the project as a refresher. The project manager is responsible for writing the project description and helps guide the project manager and their team throughout the life cycle of the project.

In a sense, the project description is the setup and the project execution is the delivery. But a project description, as helpful as it is, will not manage and track your project to help it stay on schedule. What you need is project management software.

ProjectManager is online project management software that helps you plan, manage and track your project in real time to make more insightful decisions. Turn your project description into an actionable plan with our robust Gantt charts. Organize tasks on a visual timeline, link all four dependencies and filter for the critical path. Then set a baseline and track project variance to better manage cost and time. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Project Description vs. Project Proposal

The project description is part of the larger project proposal. While the project description covers a lot of ground, it’s really more of a high-level view of the project. While some expand on the description to include more planning with the objectives, it’s still a cursory look.

The project proposal is a more expansive document. In this context, the project description is just a summary of what is to come in the larger project proposal, which will flesh out that outline. The project proposal will sometimes refer to the project description as an executive summary . Whatever it’s called, it’s the lead into the bigger picture.

Naturally, a project proposal goes more in-depth. There are sections on the background or history of the previous projects, requirements for the project, the approach, such as techniques and skills in executing the project and, finally, who the decision-makers in the project are.

Project Description vs. Project Summary

A project description isn’t a project summary, though they might sound the same. As we’ve discussed, a project description is more of a high-level overview of the project being proposed. It’s usually the opening of the project proposal when a project is being pitched.

The purpose of the project is explained in the project description. It also briefly describes how the project will run and what it plans to achieve. A project summary is far more detailed. It’s very much like the project proposal defined above in that it goes into background, processes and more.

However, these terms are often used to describe different things. A project summary is more commonly used as a project description as an introduction to the project proposal . Whatever you call it, in this context, they share the same definition of being a brief overview of the project.

How to Write a Project Description: 6 Key Steps

Writing a project description is more difficult than it might seem. Yes, it’s brief, but that means every word must count. To accomplish this, you need to understand the project inside and out, from its purpose to its scope . But the project is described simply without leaving out any key details.

That said, everything that’s critical to the project plan should be included. You don’t want to leave out anything relevant or leave anything that’s out of date. Everything in the project description should connect to the purpose of the project. Now you’re ready to write the project description, which should follow these six steps.

1. Summarize

Begin with an outline that should only be a few lines long, but answers the who, what, where, how and why of the project.

Explain the reason for the project, such as the problem it solves or the niche it fills. This will define the purpose of the project.

Show your project stakeholders why this project is worth the investment. Prove that they’ll get a good return and explain your metrics if necessary.

4. Evaluate

Make a cost-benefit analysis and show how you plan to measure those gains against the cost of the project.

5. Explain the Project Approach

Here you want to briefly explain how you’ll meet the project goals and objectives. Describe the project management methodology and resources that will be used.

6. Estimate the Timeline

Forecast the duration of the project, including the working hours and resources for each phase of the project’s life cycle.

When Should You Write a Project Description?

Now that you know the why and the how for a project description, it’s time to explore the when. Obviously, the project description is one of the first things that you’ll write as it’s often the lead to a project proposal.

Writing the project description is part of the initiation stage of the project life cycle. This is the point at which a project is defined, evaluated, and, possibly, authorized by the project sponsor.

It’s best not to write the summary until you’ve done the groundwork of defining key deliverables, risks, an estimate of costs and resources. The amount of work this takes is dependent on how big or complex the project is.

Why Is It Important to Write a Project Description?

The project description is the opening in your attempt to prove the validity of the project and its return on investment (ROI). It should make the reader, whether they’re a customer, sponsor or stakeholder, understand the project and why it’s right for them.

It also acts almost as a blueprint or roadmap for the project. The project description contains important information about the project. This includes a brief look at costs and duration, all of which will make clear what it’ll take to implement the project .

What you’re doing isn’t only selling the project but also setting realistic project expectations. It’s critical that the stakeholders know the key objectives and the time and costs associated with achieving them. That way, if the project is approved, it’ll be easier to manage stakeholder expectations because you’ve already created a baseline.

Free Project Management Templates

In order to help you write a thorough project description, ProjectManager has free templates to give you a head start. Our site features dozens of free project management templates for Excel and Word that cover all the phases of a project. The following are just a few that relate to our topic.

Executive Summary Template

The executive summary is very close to a product description. It covers similar ground and can even be interchangeable with the project description. Using our free executive summary template for Word will lay out everything you need to fill in for a thorough project description.

Project Proposal Template

The project description or executive summary is the first section of any project proposal. Since you’ll need to write a description and a proposal, our free project proposal template for Word includes the intro and all the other important information you’ll need to include to get approval.

Project Budget Template

You’ll have to estimate the cost of the project in your project description. Our project budget template for Excel is more detailed than what you’ll need but all that work will come in handy if the project is approved and you have to create a budget.

How ProjectManager Turns a Project Description Into a Project Plan

The project description ideally leads to an approved project. Now you’ll have to turn the elements that you touched on into a workable project plan. ProjectManager is online project management software that has real-time tools to help you meet your objectives without going over schedule or budget.

Use The Tools You Want

While the Gantt chart is great for project managers to visually plan their schedule, it’s not the best for the team when assigned tasks to execute. That’s why we offer multiple project views, all of which are updated together in real time. Now teams can choose the tools they prefer to work with, whether that’s our robust task lists or the visual workflow of a kanban board.

Monitor Progress and Performance in Real Time

Giving teams the freedom to work how they want doesn’t mean you can’t manage them. Our real-time dashboard automatically gathers data on time, costs, workload and more. It then calculates and displays these metrics in easy-to-read graphs and charts. Best of all, there’s no setup required as with lightweight competitors. It’s plug-and-play.

Of course, your stakeholders are also going to want to stay updated on progress. They won’t need the high-level view of a dashboard, which is why we also have customizable reports that can provide greater detail. It just takes a couple of keystrokes to generate status reports, project variance reports and more. Then easily share them with stakeholders.

Related Project Description Content

We’ve touched on executive summaries, project proposals and more. If you want a more in-depth look at them, below is some related content. Remember, ProjectManager is more than empowering software. We’re also the online hub for all things project management, publishing blogs weekly and offering free guides and templates.

• How to Write an Executive Summary: A Quick Guide
• How to Write a Project Proposal (Steps & Template Included)
• Project Planning Guide
• Project Scheduling Guide
• 7 Steps for a Successful Project Budget

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The What: Defining a research project

During Academic Writing Month 2018, TAA hosted a series of #AcWriChat TweetChat events focused on the five W’s of academic writing. Throughout the series we explored The What: Defining a research project ; The Where: Constructing an effective writing environment ; The When: Setting realistic timeframes for your research ; The Who: Finding key sources in the existing literature ; and The Why: Explaining the significance of your research . This series of posts brings together the discussions and resources from those events. Let’s start with The What: Defining a research project .

Before moving forward on any academic writing effort, it is important to understand what the research project is intended to understand and document. In order to accomplish this, it’s also important to understand what a research project is. This is where we began our discussion of the five W’s of academic writing.

Q1: What constitutes a research project?

According to a Rutgers University resource titled, Definition of a research project and specifications for fulfilling the requirement , “A research project is a scientific endeavor to answer a research question.” Specifically, projects may take the form of “case series, case control study, cohort study, randomized, controlled trial, survey, or secondary data analysis such as decision analysis, cost effectiveness analysis or meta-analysis”.

Hampshire College offers that “Research is a process of systematic inquiry that entails collection of data; documentation of critical information; and analysis and interpretation of that data/information, in accordance with suitable methodologies set by specific professional fields and academic disciplines.” in their online resource titled, What is research? The resource also states that “Research is conducted to evaluate the validity of a hypothesis or an interpretive framework; to assemble a body of substantive knowledge and findings for sharing them in appropriate manners; and to generate questions for further inquiries.”

TweetChat participant @TheInfoSherpa , who is currently “investigating whether publishing in a predatory journal constitutes blatant research misconduct, inappropriate conduct, or questionable conduct,” summarized these ideas stating, “At its simplest, a research project is a project which seeks to answer a well-defined question or set of related questions about a specific topic.” TAA staff member, Eric Schmieder, added to the discussion that“a research project is a process by which answers to a significant question are attempted to be answered through exploration or experimentation.”

In a learning module focused on research and the application of the Scientific Method, the Office of Research Integrity within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that “Research is a process to discover new knowledge…. No matter what topic is being studied, the value of the research depends on how well it is designed and done.”

Wenyi Ho of Penn State University states that “Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict and control the observed phenomenon.” in an online resource which further shares four types of knowledge that research contributes to education, four types of research based on different purposes, and five stages of conducting a research study. Further understanding of research in definition, purpose, and typical research practices can be found in this Study.com video resource .

Now that we have a foundational understanding of what constitutes a research project, we shift the discussion to several questions about defining specific research topics.

Q2: When considering topics for a new research project, where do you start?

A guide from the University of Michigan-Flint on selecting a topic states, “Be aware that selecting a good topic may not be easy. It must be narrow and focused enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to find adequate information.”

Schmieder responded to the chat question with his approach.“I often start with an idea or question of interest to me and then begin searching for existing research on the topic to determine what has been done already.”

@TheInfoSherpa added, “Start with the research. Ask a librarian for help. The last thing you want to do is design a study thst someone’s already done.”

The Utah State University Libraries shared a video that “helps you find a research topic that is relevant and interesting to you!”

Q2a: What strategies do you use to stay current on research in your discipline?

The California State University Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program Community Commons resource offers four suggestions for staying current in your field:

• Become an effective consumer of research
• Read key publications
• Attend key gatherings
• Develop a network of colleagues

Schmieder and @TheInfoSherpa discussed ways to use databases for this purpose. Schmieder identified using “journal database searches for publications in the past few months on topics of interest” as a way to stay current as a consumer of research.

@TheInfoSherpa added, “It’s so easy to set up an alert in your favorite database. I do this for specific topics, and all the latest research gets delivered right to my inbox. Again, your academic or public #librarian can help you with this.” To which Schmieder replied, “Alerts are such useful advancements in technology for sorting through the myriad of material available online. Great advice!”

In an open access article, Keeping Up to Date: An Academic Researcher’s Information Journey , researchers Pontis, et. al. “examined how researchers stay up to date, using the information journey model as a framework for analysis and investigating which dimensions influence information behaviors.” As a result of their study, “Five key dimensions that influence information behaviors were identified: level of seniority, information sources, state of the project, level of familiarity, and how well defined the relevant community is.”

Q3: When defining a research topic, do you tend to start with a broad idea or a specific research question?

In a collection of notes on where to start by Don Davis at Columbia University, Davis tells us “First, there is no ‘Right Topic.’”, adding that “Much more important is to find something that is important and genuinely interests you.”

Schmieder shared in the chat event, “I tend to get lost in the details while trying to save the world – not sure really where I start though. :O)” @TheInfoSherpa added, “Depends on the project. The important thing is being able to realize when your topic is too broad or too narrow and may need tweaking. I use the five Ws or PICO(T) to adjust my topic if it’s too broad or too narrow.”

In an online resource , The Writing Center at George Mason University identifies the following six steps to developing a research question, noting significance in that “the specificity of a well-developed research question helps writers avoid the ‘all-about’ paper and work toward supporting a specific, arguable thesis.”

• Choose an interesting general topic
• Do some preliminary research on your general topic
• Consider your audience
• Start asking questions
• Evaluate your question
• Begin your research

USC Libraries’ research guides offer eight strategies for narrowing the research topic : Aspect, Components, Methodology, Place, Relationship, Time, Type, or a Combination of the above.

Q4: What factors help to determine the realistic scope a research topic?

The scope of a research topic refers to the actual amount of research conducted as part of the study. Often the search strategies used in understanding previous research and knowledge on a topic will impact the scope of the current study. A resource from Indiana University offers both an activity for narrowing the search strategy when finding too much information on a topic and an activity for broadening the search strategy when too little information is found.

The Mayfield Handbook of Technical & Scientific Writing identifies scope as an element to be included in the problem statement. Further when discussing problem statements, this resource states, “If you are focusing on a problem, be sure to define and state it specifically enough that you can write about it. Avoid trying to investigate or write about multiple problems or about broad or overly ambitious problems. Vague problem definition leads to unsuccessful proposals and vague, unmanageable documents. Naming a topic is not the same as defining a problem.”

Schmieder identified in the chat several considerations when determining the scope of a research topic, namely “Time, money, interest and commitment, impact to self and others.” @TheInfoSherpa reiterated their use of PICO(T) stating, “PICO(T) is used in the health sciences, but it can be used to identify a manageable scope” and sharing a link to a Georgia Gwinnett College Research Guide on PICOT Questions .

By managing the scope of your research topic, you also define the limitations of your study. According to a USC Libraries’ Research Guide, “The limitations of the study are those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or influenced the interpretation of the findings from your research.” Accepting limitations help maintain a manageable scope moving forward with the project.

Q5/5a: Do you generally conduct research alone or with collaborative authors? What benefits/challenges do collaborators add to the research project?

Despite noting that the majority of his research efforts have been solo, Schmieder did identify benefits to collaboration including “brainstorming, division of labor, speed of execution” and challenges of developing a shared vision, defining roles and responsibilities for the collaborators, and accepting a level of dependence on the others in the group.

In a resource on group writing from The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both advantages and pitfalls are discussed. Looking to the positive, this resource notes that “Writing in a group can have many benefits: multiple brains are better than one, both for generating ideas and for getting a job done.”

Yale University’s Office of the Provost has established, as part of its Academic Integrity policies, Guidance on Authorship in Scholarly or Scientific Publications to assist researchers in understanding authorship standards as well as attribution expectations.

In times when authorship turns sour , the University of California, San Francisco offers the following advice to reach a resolution among collaborative authors:

• Address emotional issues directly
• Elicit the problem author’s emotions
• Acknowledge the problem author’s emotions
• Express your own emotions as “I feel …”
• Set boundaries
• Try to find common ground
• Get agreement on process
• Involve a neutral third party

Q6: What other advice can you share about defining a research project?

Schmieder answered with question with personal advice to “Choose a topic of interest. If you aren’t interested in the topic, you will either not stay motivated to complete it or you will be miserable in the process and not produce the best results from your efforts.”

For further guidance and advice, the following resources may prove useful:

• 15 Steps to Good Research (Georgetown University Library)
• Advice for Researchers and Students (Tao Xie and University of Illinois)
• Develop a research statement for yourself (University of Pennsylvania)

Whatever your next research project, hopefully these tips and resources help you to define it in a way that leads to greater success and better writing.

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Expert Tips for Writing a Project Description With Free Templates

By Kate Eby | May 25, 2021

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A strong project description provides a roadmap for stakeholders and communicates the vision without getting bogged down in details. We’ve compiled expert tips and sample project descriptions to help you get started. 

In this article, you’ll find a project description outline , steps for writing a project description , expert tips , and examples of project descriptions by industry .

What Is a Project Description?

A project description is a high-level overview of why you’re doing a project. The document explains a project’s objectives and its essential qualities. Think of it as the elevator pitch that focuses on what and why without delving into how. 

You typically draft a project description early on, during the project initiation phase of the project management lifecycle.

The project manager often writes the project description. However, if you are working for an agency that seeks grant funding or writing a research proposal, you might need to learn how to write a project description in a project proposal.

The project description should include an overview of the following:

• Project goals and objectives
• Stakeholders and their roles
• Metrics for measuring success
• Estimated budget

The tricky part is figuring out what doesn’t belong in the project description. The description should focus on goals, objectives, and the overall approach, but you don’t need to include lists of tasks, an extensive background, or research analysis. In general, the project description is broad; you’ll include more detail in the project plan.

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Project Description Outline

The parts of a project description will vary depending on the type of project. However, your project description should contain the following elements:

Parts of a Project Description Outline

• Project Title: Aim for a short, unambiguous, and memorable title. 
• Overview: This is a high-level summary (no more than one or two paragraphs).
• Project Justification: Explain the problem or opportunity and why the project is necessary.
• Objectives: Set specific and measurable project goals.
• Phases of Work: Break down the project into phases that describe the desired outcome for each.
• Metrics for Evaluating and Monitoring: Include the metrics you’ll use to evaluate the project’s success. 
• Timeline: Outline the timeline for each phase, including the basic tasks that you will accomplish, with start and end dates.
• Estimated Budget: Include the budget and projected costs.

How to Write a Project Description

Although writing a project description will vary somewhat depending on the type of project, the basic process is the same. The following 10 steps are key to writing a good project description.

• Summarize: Write a one- or two-paragraph explanation of what the project aims to accomplish. Avoid delving deep into background or past projects. A good project summary will not only serve as your elevator speech, but will also help you clarify larger issues with your plan.
• Define: Describe the problem or opportunity and how the project will address it.
• Specific: Answer who, what, when, where, and why.
• Measurable: Include metrics for defining success.
• Achievable: Set goals that are possible to accomplish with the available resources.
• Relevant: Goals should be aligned with your organization’s mission.
• Time-bound: Include intermediate and final deadlines for each goal.
• Explain: Briefly explain your methodology. Include any key technologies or project management techniques you’ll use and why they’re appropriate.
• Measure: Identify the project deliverables . How will you measure success and evaluate the project?
• Schedule: Include a general timeline, with project phases and milestones. Be sure to note any important deadlines.
• Budget: Include the total estimated cost of the project and how much you have budgeted. (Note that this shouldn’t be a line item budget.) Use a project budget template for a more detailed breakdown of budgeted and actual project expenses.
• Get feedback: Seek feedback from key stakeholders, customers, and anyone impacted by the project for feedback. Ask them to explain the project in their own words to get a sense of how clearly you’ve communicated the vision.
• Proofread: Have someone else proofread the project description. In addition to spelling and grammatical errors, ask them to look for missing details that are significant to the project.
• Revise: Update and revise the document as the project progresses. Treat the project description as a living document.

A 10-Step Checklist for Writing a Project Description

Now that you know how to write a project description, use this checklist to help you focus on the key details.

Types of Project Descriptions With Examples

In this section, you’ll find a variety of free, customizable project description templates. We’ve completed them with sample information so that you can get an idea of how to write a description that fits your needs. You can also download a free project documentation template to help you track its progress.

Architectural Project Description Template

Download Architectural Project Description Template

Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs

An architectural project description should start with a summary that explains the need for the project. Briefly identify the site, any key design features and aesthetic considerations, and a broad timeline. Keep it simple, and write for the general public. Here’s an example of an architectural project description summary for a downtown parking garage:

After you summarize the project, use the architectural project description template to create a customizable action plan. Include a breakdown of work by phases. Note any communications and approvals needed to ensure success.

Client Creative Project Brief Template

Download Client Creative Brief Template

Microsoft Excel | Smartsheet

Create a client creative project brief  to ensure a project strategy aligns with client goals. Creative briefs are frequently used for projects involving graphic design, videography, or marketing campaigns. Start by briefly describing the project, objectives, and deadlines. The following client creative project brief provides an overview of a holiday marketing campaign.

The format will vary based on the type of project. In the client creative project template example above, you’ll find a number of kickoff questions about the campaign’s target audience, key components, and messaging. If this template doesn’t meet your needs, check out other Smartsheet client creative briefs and marketing project plan templates .

Grant Project Description Template

Download Grant Project Description Template 

Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF  

When you’re applying for grant funding or planning a grant-funded project, it’s essential to identify the target population and how they’ll benefit from project activities. Focus on why the project is necessary, rather than on the needs of your organization. The following example describes a grant project for a program seeking funding to combat childhood hunger:

This grant project description template breaks down the description into separate sections for the problem to be addressed, goals and objectives, target population, project activities, and key staff. It provides additional space for background information, measurable outcomes, and a timeline and budget, and it includes separate columns for income sources and expenses.

Interior Design Project Description Template

Download Interior Design Project Description Template

Microsoft Word | Google Docs

An interior design project description is similar to a client creative project brief. You’ll use the project overview to spell out a vision for the project that syncs with the client’s needs. The following interior design project description summarizes a residential kitchen remodel project.

Use the remainder of the interior design project description template to document the client’s likes and dislikes in greater detail. The template includes space to note the client’s preferences for general style, as well as colors, patterns, textiles, furnishings, and more. You’ll also find space to include measurements, a floor sketch, a project schedule, and a budget.

IT Project Description Template

Download IT Project Description Template

Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF

An IT project description should start with a basic summary that condenses key background information and what the project entails. Keep it simple, and explain the project in lay terms. The following IT project description summary provides an overview of a plan to develop a mobile ordering app for a fast casual restaurant:

This IT project description template includes space for goals, assumptions, measurements of success, and risks. Additionally, the template includes space for a breakdown of the scope of work, including processes impacted by the project, milestones, costs, and resources.

Software Project Description Template

Download Software Project Description Template

Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF

A software project description should start with an overview that explains the type of software that will be developed, the problem it will solve, and the benefits to users and the business. The overview shouldn’t focus on the technical aspects of the project, but instead on the final product and its benefits. This software project description example gives an overview of a point-of-sale (POS) system under development for a brewery.

Once you’ve completed the overview, use this software project description template to explain purposes and goals in greater detail. The template includes sections for obstacles, risk factors, hardware compatibility, and software employed. Other features include a detailed breakdown of the project’s timeline and cost structure.

For other project description templates, please refer to our Free Project Description Templates article .

PMP Project Description

If you’re a project manager seeking the Project Management Professional certification, you’ll need either 36 or 60 months of professional experience leading projects, depending on your education level. 

The Project Management Institute (PMI) requires you to submit each project as its own entry on the application and include the following:

• A one-sentence project objective.
• Your role in accomplishing project deliverables in each of the five phases of project management : initiating (IN), planning (PL), executing (EX), monitoring and controlling (MC), and closing (CL).
• A brief description of project outcome.

You can use this PMP application project description example for guidance:

• Objective: Redesign Company XYZ’s website to improve lead generation by 25 percent.
• Project Deliverables: I was the project manager for Company XYZ’s redesign. I drafted the project charter and recruited a team of four IT staffers to complete the project (IN). I created the work breakdown structure, timeline, and budget, and I met with stakeholders to assess project contingencies and risks (PL). I coordinated between departments, provided quality assurance, and managed the four-person team throughout the project (EX). I conducted risk audits and communicated results to stakeholders (MC). I obtained stakeholder feedback, archived project documents, and held multidepartment training once the redesign was completed (CL).
• Outcome: Company XYZ’s website redesign was completed $10,000 under budget and two weeks ahead of schedule. Lead generation increased by 30 percent within six months.

How to Write a Project Description in a CV or Resume

Writing a project description for successful past projects can give you an edge when you’re a job candidate or looking for new clients. When writing a project description for your CV, resume, or portfolio, clearly state the project objective, your role, and the outcome.

Continuing with the example above, here’s a project management project description sample to avoid in your resume because it’s vague. The second project description is a more effective example. It also highlights the most significant accomplishments and responsibilities first.

Project Description Before Example

IT Project Manager, Company XYZ Project: Website redesign

• Managed a highly successful redesign
• Provided leadership throughout the project
• Updated key stakeholders in a timely manner
• Coordinated communications and staff trainings
• Completed the project under budget and ahead of schedule, resulting in improved sales

Project Description After Example

IT Project Manager, Company XYZ Project: Website redesign with goal of increasing lead generation by 25%

• Managed website redesign that resulted in a 30% increase in lead generation
• Completed the project $10,000 under budget and two weeks ahead of schedule
• Recruited and managed a team of four IT staffers
• Created the work breakdown structure, timeline, and budget; assessed project contingencies and risks
• Communicated with key stakeholders throughout the project; trained staff across departments once the project was complete

Tips for Writing a Good Project Description

To write an effective project description, draft early in the process. Keep it high-level without going into too much detail or background. Use the description to generate interest among a broad audience. Keep it brief and free of jargon.

• Clear: Keep writing straight to the point and don’t include unnecessary jargon. 
• Concise: Focus on the project itself, rather than on background information.
• Complete: This can be a challenge when you’re also aiming for concision. Regardless, the description should include the key points your audience needs to understand the project. 
• Credible: Only cite authoritative sources and the most up-to-date information.
• Draft the Project Description Early in the Process: Gregory Carson, PMP, is a biomedical engineer, attorney, and patent agent with more than 20 years of project management experience and who owns Carson Patents . Carson suggests drafting the project description early, ideally as soon as the idea occurs to you or your team. The description will serve as the summary roadmap to refer back to throughout the project. “All of the other details have some direct relationship to the project description, so having the project description well drafted before you begin the execution planning can save you time and frustration, in particular as changes need to be included,” Carson says. At the end of the project, you’ll want to refer back to the document to show that the project fulfilled the goals and objectives.
• Make a Memorable First Impression: Alan Zucker, PMP, is a project manager with more than 25 years working with Fortune 100 companies and founder of the website Project Management Essentials . He says that a project description should motivate. The goal is for people to understand and support the project after reading the description. “When crafting your pitch, remember that most people will form their initial impressions about the project within the first 30 seconds. Lead with a strong statement and a powerful image of the project’s benefit,” Zucker says.
• Write for a Broad Audience: A common mistake when writing a project description is targeting too narrow of an audience. “There is usually no lack of attention on the stakeholders that are funding the project, and they are important audience members for the project description to focus on,” Carson says. “But particular attention focused on the stakeholders who will benefit from the project often leads to helpful insights for the project.” Getting feedback on the description from a broader audience is also helpful. Zucker suggests reviewing the description with key stakeholders, customers, and those impacted by the project. “After reading your description, see if they can restate it in their own words,” Zucker suggests. “Was the restatement what you intended? If not, then continue to revise the description based on the feedback.”
• Avoid Excessive Details, Especially Early On: Your project description should convey a vision, rather than provide a detailed implementation plan. Don’t worry too much about planning out details in the description phase —  Zucker suggests that you simply make sure there’s a clear understanding of the project’s goals and why you want to proceed. “The description will evolve as we learn more about the project,” Zucker says. “Don’t worry about committing too early. Part of that evolutionary process is sharing the description and getting feedback on it.” Keeping a high-level focus will help generate buy-in for the project. Carson says it’s key to describe the project so that others “can understand and appreciate your marvel.” “You don’t want to pontificate to the point where people stop reading or get confused about any of the goals and objectives,” he says.
• Ask Someone to Proofread Your Project Description: Proofreading and editing are essential when you finalize your project description. But if you wrote the description, recruit someone else to edit it. “Too often as we write, we ‘remember’ what we were writing about and can miss little details, even spelling and grammar, that can impact the meaning and importance of a project and its description,” Carson says. Don’t be surprised if you need to revise and rewrite a few times. It’s all part of the process of crafting your message.

How to Write a Brief Description of a Project

Focus on the project and the problem it addresses. Avoid delving into background info or referencing other projects. Emphasize the what and why without excessive detail about the tasks it requires. This can be your pitch to sell the project.

What Is a Project Description in a Project Proposal?

A project description in a project proposal is a brief summary of the goals, the objectives, and the need for the project. It shouldn’t be more than one or two paragraphs. The project proposal will provide more detailed information.

What Is a Project Description in a Thesis?

A project description in a thesis outlines the research you’re undertaking, typically as part of graduate studies. It includes your working title, your research goals, basic methodology, and why the research is needed.

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FSU | Office of Research

Writing the Project Summary and Project Description

Project summary.

The project summary is a one page document that consists of separate overview, intellectual merits, and broader impacts sections. Each of these three sections is required to be present and must be clearly defined. All NSF proposals must have project summaries.

The project summary is one of the most important parts of the proposal. It is likely the first thing a reviewer will read, and is your best chance to grab their interest, and convince them of the importance, and quality, of your research before they even read the proposal.

Though it is the first proposal element in order, many applicants prefer to write the project summary last, after writing the project description. This allows the writer to better avoid any inconsistencies between the two.

Suggested Project Summary Outline

Project Description

Applicants have considerable freedom in developing the format Project Descriptions. NSF requires that CAREER Project Descriptions contain" a well-argued and specific proposal for activities that will, over a 5-year period, build a firm foundation for a lifetime of contributions to research and education in the context of the PI's organization".

Project Descriptions must include:

A description of the proposed research project, including preliminary supporting data where appropriate, specific objectives, methods, and procedures to be used, and expected significance of the results

A description of the proposed educational activities, including plans to evaluate their impact on students and other participants

A description of how the research and education activities are integrated with one another

results of prior NSF support if applicable

Successful applicants will propose creative, effective, integrated research and education plans, and indicate how they will assess these components.

While excellence in both research and education is expected, activity of an intensity that would lead to an unreasonable workload is not. In other words, make sure that what you propose to do is reasonable given your time and resources, and make sure that the proposal convinces the reviewers of this.

What (Exactly) Is A Research Proposal?

A simple explainer with examples + free template.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020 (Updated April 2023)

Whether you’re nearing the end of your degree and your dissertation is on the horizon, or you’re planning to apply for a PhD program, chances are you’ll need to craft a convincing research proposal . If you’re on this page, you’re probably unsure exactly what the research proposal is all about. Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Overview: Research Proposal Basics

• What a research proposal is
• What a research proposal needs to cover
• How to structure your research proposal
• Example /sample proposals
• Proposal writing FAQs
• Key takeaways & additional resources

What is a research proposal?

Simply put, a research proposal is a structured, formal document that explains what you plan to research (your research topic), why it’s worth researching (your justification), and how  you plan to investigate it (your methodology). 

The purpose of the research proposal (its job, so to speak) is to convince  your research supervisor, committee or university that your research is  suitable  (for the requirements of the degree program) and  manageable  (given the time and resource constraints you will face). 

The most important word here is “ convince ” – in other words, your research proposal needs to  sell  your research idea (to whoever is going to approve it). If it doesn’t convince them (of its suitability and manageability), you’ll need to revise and resubmit . This will cost you valuable time, which will either delay the start of your research or eat into its time allowance (which is bad news). 

What goes into a research proposal?

A good dissertation or thesis proposal needs to cover the “ what “, “ why ” and” how ” of the proposed study. Let’s look at each of these attributes in a little more detail:

Your proposal needs to clearly articulate your research topic . This needs to be specific and unambiguous . Your research topic should make it clear exactly what you plan to research and in what context. Here’s an example of a well-articulated research topic:

An investigation into the factors which impact female Generation Y consumer’s likelihood to promote a specific makeup brand to their peers: a British context

As you can see, this topic is extremely clear. From this one line we can see exactly:

• What’s being investigated – factors that make people promote or advocate for a brand of a specific makeup brand
• Who it involves – female Gen-Y consumers
• In what context – the United Kingdom

So, make sure that your research proposal provides a detailed explanation of your research topic . If possible, also briefly outline your research aims and objectives , and perhaps even your research questions (although in some cases you’ll only develop these at a later stage). Needless to say, don’t start writing your proposal until you have a clear topic in mind , or you’ll end up waffling and your research proposal will suffer as a result of this.

Need a helping hand?

As we touched on earlier, it’s not good enough to simply propose a research topic – you need to justify why your topic is original . In other words, what makes it  unique ? What gap in the current literature does it fill? If it’s simply a rehash of the existing research, it’s probably not going to get approval – it needs to be fresh.

But,  originality  alone is not enough. Once you’ve ticked that box, you also need to justify why your proposed topic is  important . In other words, what value will it add to the world if you achieve your research aims?

As an example, let’s look at the sample research topic we mentioned earlier (factors impacting brand advocacy). In this case, if the research could uncover relevant factors, these findings would be very useful to marketers in the cosmetics industry, and would, therefore, have commercial value . That is a clear justification for the research.

So, when you’re crafting your research proposal, remember that it’s not enough for a topic to simply be unique. It needs to be useful and value-creating – and you need to convey that value in your proposal. If you’re struggling to find a research topic that makes the cut, watch  our video covering how to find a research topic .

It’s all good and well to have a great topic that’s original and valuable, but you’re not going to convince anyone to approve it without discussing the practicalities – in other words:

• How will you actually undertake your research (i.e., your methodology)?
• Is your research methodology appropriate given your research aims?
• Is your approach manageable given your constraints (time, money, etc.)?

While it’s generally not expected that you’ll have a fully fleshed-out methodology at the proposal stage, you’ll likely still need to provide a high-level overview of your research methodology . Here are some important questions you’ll need to address in your research proposal:

• Will you take a qualitative , quantitative or mixed -method approach?
• What sampling strategy will you adopt?
• How will you collect your data (e.g., interviews, surveys, etc)?
• How will you analyse your data (e.g., descriptive and inferential statistics , content analysis, discourse analysis, etc, .)?
• What potential limitations will your methodology carry?

So, be sure to give some thought to the practicalities of your research and have at least a basic methodological plan before you start writing up your proposal. If this all sounds rather intimidating, the video below provides a good introduction to research methodology and the key choices you’ll need to make.

How To Structure A Research Proposal

Now that we’ve covered the key points that need to be addressed in a proposal, you may be wondering, “ But how is a research proposal structured? “.

While the exact structure and format required for a research proposal differs from university to university, there are four “essential ingredients” that commonly make up the structure of a research proposal:

• A rich introduction and background to the proposed research
• An initial literature review covering the existing research
• An overview of the proposed research methodology
• A discussion regarding the practicalities (project plans, timelines, etc.)

In the video below, we unpack each of these four sections, step by step.

Research Proposal Examples/Samples

In the video below, we provide a detailed walkthrough of two successful research proposals (Master’s and PhD-level), as well as our popular free proposal template.

Proposal Writing FAQs

How long should a research proposal be.

This varies tremendously, depending on the university, the field of study (e.g., social sciences vs natural sciences), and the level of the degree (e.g. undergraduate, Masters or PhD) – so it’s always best to check with your university what their specific requirements are before you start planning your proposal.

As a rough guide, a formal research proposal at Masters-level often ranges between 2000-3000 words, while a PhD-level proposal can be far more detailed, ranging from 5000-8000 words. In some cases, a rough outline of the topic is all that’s needed, while in other cases, universities expect a very detailed proposal that essentially forms the first three chapters of the dissertation or thesis.

The takeaway – be sure to check with your institution before you start writing.

How do I choose a topic for my research proposal?

Finding a good research topic is a process that involves multiple steps. We cover the topic ideation process in this video post.

How do I write a literature review for my proposal?

While you typically won’t need a comprehensive literature review at the proposal stage, you still need to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the key literature and are able to synthesise it. We explain the literature review process here.

How do I create a timeline and budget for my proposal?

We explain how to craft a project plan/timeline and budget in Research Proposal Bootcamp .

Which referencing format should I use in my research proposal?

The expectations and requirements regarding formatting and referencing vary from institution to institution. Therefore, you’ll need to check this information with your university.

What common proposal writing mistakes do I need to look out for?

We’ve create a video post about some of the most common mistakes students make when writing a proposal – you can access that here . If you’re short on time, here’s a quick summary:

• The research topic is too broad (or just poorly articulated).
• The research aims, objectives and questions don’t align.
• The research topic is not well justified.
• The study has a weak theoretical foundation.
• The research design is not well articulated well enough.
• Poor writing and sloppy presentation.
• Poor project planning and risk management.
• Not following the university’s specific criteria.

Key Takeaways & Additional Resources

As you write up your research proposal, remember the all-important core purpose:  to convince . Your research proposal needs to sell your study in terms of suitability and viability. So, focus on crafting a convincing narrative to ensure a strong proposal.

At the same time, pay close attention to your university’s requirements. While we’ve covered the essentials here, every institution has its own set of expectations and it’s essential that you follow these to maximise your chances of approval.

By the way, we’ve got plenty more resources to help you fast-track your research proposal. Here are some of our most popular resources to get you started:

• Proposal Writing 101 : A Introductory Webinar
• Research Proposal Bootcamp : The Ultimate Online Course
• Template : A basic template to help you craft your proposal

If you’re looking for 1-on-1 support with your research proposal, be sure to check out our private coaching service , where we hold your hand through the proposal development process (and the entire research journey), step by step.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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51 Comments

I truly enjoyed this video, as it was eye-opening to what I have to do in the preparation of preparing a Research proposal.

I would be interested in getting some coaching.

I real appreciate on your elaboration on how to develop research proposal,the video explains each steps clearly.

Thank you for the video. It really assisted me and my niece. I am a PhD candidate and she is an undergraduate student. It is at times, very difficult to guide a family member but with this video, my job is done.

In view of the above, I welcome more coaching.

Wonderful guidelines, thanks

This is very helpful. Would love to continue even as I prepare for starting my masters next year.

Thanks for the work done, the text was helpful to me

Bundle of thanks to you for the research proposal guide it was really good and useful if it is possible please send me the sample of research proposal

You’re most welcome. We don’t have any research proposals that we can share (the students own the intellectual property), but you might find our research proposal template useful: https://gradcoach.com/research-proposal-template/

Cheruiyot Moses Kipyegon

Thanks alot. It was an eye opener that came timely enough before my imminent proposal defense. Thanks, again

thank you very much your lesson is very interested may God be with you

I am an undergraduate student (First Degree) preparing to write my project,this video and explanation had shed more light to me thanks for your efforts keep it up.

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this is a very a good guidance on research proposal, for sure i have learnt something

Wonderful guidelines for writing a research proposal, I am a student of m.phil( education), this guideline is suitable for me. Thanks

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Thank you. This is a great insight. I am a student preparing for a PhD program. I am requested to write my Research Proposal as part of what I am required to submit before my unconditional admission. I am grateful having listened to this video which will go a long way in helping me to actually choose a topic of interest and not just any topic as well as to narrow down the topic and be specific about it. I indeed need more of this especially as am trying to choose a topic suitable for a DBA am about embarking on. Thank you once more. The video is indeed helpful.

Have learnt a lot just at the right time. Thank you so much.

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Hi. For my MSc medical education research, please evaluate this topic for me: Training Needs Assessment of Faculty in Medical Training Institutions in Kericho and Bomet Counties

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Great! I liked your tutoring on how to find a research topic and how to write a research proposal. Precise and concise. Thank you very much. Will certainly share this with my students. Research made simple indeed.

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I need any research proposal

Thank you for these videos. I will need chapter by chapter assistance in writing my MSc dissertation

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interesting session this has equipped me with knowledge as i head for exams in an hour’s time, am sure i get A++

This article was most informative and easy to understand. I now have a good idea of how to write my research proposal.

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Wow, this literature is very resourceful and interesting to read. I enjoyed it and I intend reading it every now then.

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What is JAM? Please explain.

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thank you for the video but i need a written example

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Tips on Writing the Project Description

By Dr. Will Cantrell, former SURF coordinator

You may want to read through some or all of the example proposals listed below. All of them were successful SURF proposals. (And they kindly gave me permission to use their proposals as examples.)

• Chelsey Bach
• Emily Oppliger
• Virginia van Vianen
• Katie Bristol
• David Trine

You have two pages to make a compelling case that you should be funded. In that space, you have to:

• Introduce the topic. Don't assume that everyone knows why, using an example from my own research, it's important that we know which aerosol particles in the atmosphere will be effective ice nuclei.
• Introduce the specific question you will address.
• Explain how you will attempt to answer the question you have posed. You must do this in enough detail that someone who is an expert in your field can evaluate what you are proposing to do.

You should use most of the two pages to talk about what you will do. The Introduction is necessary and important, but you aren't writing a review of what's been done – you are trying to convince reviewers that you have a good idea and that you are capable of carrying it out.

Be specific. Don't just claim that you are going to investigate heterogeneous ice nucleation. What, specifically, about heterogeneous nucleation will you investigate? In one of my first proposals as a new faculty member, I put forward the following hypothesis: ". . . the efficacy of the organic films as ice nucleating agents lies in their ability to accommodate a portion of the strain which arises at the water-film interface as the ice embryo forms." That is specific and testable, though in looking back over the proposal I see that I never explicitly stated how I would detect the strain in the organic film. (I should have.)

Be even more specific. In my case, I specified what organic compounds I would use and why I chose them. I also described in some detail how I would make the measurements and how I would interpret the data. The proposals above are quite specific.

Use a figure or diagram. A picture is worth (more than) a thousand words. There is no substitute for this. As a corollary to this premise, don't use a figure unless you talk about it in the text. And provide a detailed caption. Use the caption to re-emphasize important points.

And finally, a word of caution. Your faculty mentor may provide you with material to review as you write your proposal. That may include proposals that she or he has written on a very similar topic. You may, of course, use that material as you develop your proposal, but, in the end, the proposal you submit to SURF should be your own.

A few miscellaneous points:

• Many funding agencies do not have a strict format for their proposals. You are free to call the sections what you wish. (Caveat: Read the solicitation! Some programs do have strict proposal guidelines and they will return the proposal without review in some cases if you violate it.)
• The requirements for references are not as stringent for proposals as they are for journal articles. (Caveat: Again, some funding agency may require a particular format.) If the format is not specified, you could, for instance, use numerical superscripts to save space. The only requirement is that the reviewer should be able to find the source, given the information you provide.
• Do not exceed the page limit. I will instruct reviewers not to consider anything past two pages.

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What are the key points in short descriptions of research experience?

When writing short descriptions of research experiences as a student (undergrad or postgrad), what are the key points that professors, potential collaborators and admission committees would like to see?

These might be very short descriptions in a space constrained academic CV, or slightly less short descriptions on an online profile or research statement. What are the key essentials (in the CV case) and the additional points (statement/website case)?

• research-process
• application

• 1 Different people are likely to look for different things: teachers, collaborators, admission and hiring committees at various levels would look for very different things. Maybe you should specify your question? –  F'x Commented Feb 4, 2013 at 19:12
• This is a very interesting question. Have you searched the internet for any answers or tips? –  user4511 Commented Feb 4, 2013 at 19:53
• @VahidShirbisheh - I searched around a bit and read advice from career departments of universities but none seem to answer this qns directly. There are some webpages that do (e.g. eHow) but they sound very general and I thought it would be better to get advice from people in academia. –  Legendre Commented Feb 7, 2013 at 13:44
• @F'x - I suppose there won't be a "right" answer. Perhaps it would be useful to have a range of opinions? Especially from people in academia that would be reading the resumes/statements (rather than career department staff). –  Legendre Commented Feb 7, 2013 at 13:47

In a one-sentence statement, I want to state as precisely and concisely as possible as much relevant detail about the project I was working on. For instance

Analysis of Widget Manufacturing

doesn't tell me much about what you did. On the other hand

In-situ XYZ Experiments and Numerical Modeling of the Parametric Influence of Temperature, Humidity, and Cooling Time on the Strength of Widget X under Load-Bearing Conditions

tells me much more about the problem you're working on.

If you have perhaps a paragraph, then I went a short summary of your work. You should provide: a motivation for the problem, an overview of what you did, and a summary of the main methods, results, and conclusions of the work.

• What about: 1) skills used/gained (random e.g. Fortran programming, Topology, worked with DNA datasets). 2) non-technical description (to show you can communicate your work to a general audience), 3) Future work/directions/applications? –  Legendre Commented Feb 7, 2013 at 13:51
• (1) That would fall under "methods"; presumably you learned how to use the methods you used. (2) For the audiences you specified, a non-technical description is unimportant. (3) Future work and directions falls under "conclusions" under normal circumstances, and only when space allows. –  aeismail Commented Feb 7, 2013 at 17:55

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Collecting Multilingual Parallel Video Descriptions Using Mechanical Turk

Traditional methods of collecting translation and paraphrase data can be prohibitively expensive, making construction of large, new corpora difficult. While crowdsourcing offers a cheap alternative, quality control and scalability can become problematic. In this project we introduce a novel annotation task that uses short video clips (usually less than 10 seconds) as the stimulus to elicit parallel linguistic responses from the annotators. Descriptions of the same video in the same language can then be used as paraphrases of each other while descriptions in different languages can be used as translations of each other. Some of the advantages of this data collection method are: Over a two-month period from July to September in 2010, we collected 85K English descriptions for 2,089 video clips as well as over a thousand descriptions for each of a dozen more languages. In addition to providing training and testing data for paraphrase and translation engines, this data also provides natural language descriptions for a significant amount of video data. The video clips generally depict a single, unambiguous action or event.

[ ] [ ] [ ] David L. Chen and William B. Dolan In the proceedings of , San Francisco, CA, August, 2011 [ ] [ ] [ ] David L. Chen and William B. Dolan In the proceedings of , Portland, OR, June, 2011

The data consists of 122K descriptions for 2089 video clips. Below is a breakdown of the number of annotations obtained for each language: English 85550 Hindi 6245 Romanian 3998 Slovene 3584 Serbian 3420 Tamil 2789 Dutch 2735 German 2326 Macedonian 1915 Spanish 1883 Gujarati 1437 Russian 1243 French 1226 Italian 953 Georgian 907 Polish 544 2021 Fall Notes: To download the multilingual descriptions of the videos, please visit: Microsoft Research Video Description Corpus To download the reconstructed English descriptions of the videos, please visit: Microsoft Research Video Description Corpus Here is a tarball of most of the video files (.avi): YouTubeClips.tar Contact Information Privacy Policy Home » Research Topics – Ideas and Examples Research Topics – Ideas and Examples Table of Contents Research Topic Definition: Research topic is a specific subject or area of interest that a researcher wants to investigate or explore in-depth through research. It is the overarching theme or question that guides a research project and helps to focus the research activities towards a clear objective. How to Choose Research Topic You can Choose a Research Topic by following the below guide: Identify your Interests One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a research topic is your personal interest. This is because you will be spending a considerable amount of time researching and writing about the topic, so it’s essential that you are genuinely interested and passionate about it. Start by brainstorming a list of potential research topics based on your interests, hobbies, or areas of expertise. You can also consider the courses that you’ve enjoyed the most or the topics that have stood out to you in your readings. Review the Literature Before deciding on a research topic, you need to understand what has already been written about it. Conducting a preliminary review of the existing literature in your field can help you identify gaps in knowledge, inconsistencies in findings, or unanswered questions that you can explore further. You can do this by reading academic articles, books, and other relevant sources in your field. Make notes of the themes or topics that emerge and use this information to guide your research question. Consult with your Advisor Your academic advisor or a mentor in your field can provide you with valuable insights and guidance on choosing a research topic. They can help you identify areas of interest, suggest potential research questions, and provide feedback on the feasibility of your research proposal. They can also direct you towards relevant literature and resources that can help you develop your research further. Consider the Scope and Feasibility The research topic you choose should be manageable within the time and resource constraints of your project. Be mindful of the scope of your research and ensure that you are not trying to tackle a topic that is too broad or too narrow. If your topic is too broad, you may find it challenging to conduct a comprehensive analysis, while if it’s too narrow, you may struggle to find enough material to support your research. Brainstorm with Peers Discussing potential research topics with your peers or colleagues can help you generate new ideas and perspectives. They may have insights or expertise that you haven’t considered, and their feedback can help you refine your research question. You can also join academic groups or attend conferences in your field to network with other researchers and get inspiration for your research. Consider the Relevance Choose a research topic that is relevant to your field of study and has the potential to contribute to the existing knowledge. You can consider the latest trends and emerging issues in your field to identify topics that are both relevant and interesting. Conducting research on a topic that is timely and relevant can also increase the likelihood of getting published or presenting your research at conferences. Keep an Open Mind While it’s essential to choose a research topic that aligns with your interests and expertise, you should also be open to exploring new ideas or topics that may be outside of your comfort zone. Consider researching a topic that challenges your assumptions or introduces new perspectives that you haven’t considered before. You may discover new insights or perspectives that can enrich your research and contribute to your growth as a researcher. Components of Research Topic A research topic typically consists of several components that help to define and clarify the subject matter of the research project. These components include: Research problem or question: This is the central issue or inquiry that the research seeks to address. It should be well-defined and focused, with clear boundaries that limit the scope of the research. Background and context: This component provides the necessary background information and context for the research topic. It explains why the research problem or question is important, relevant, and timely. It may also include a literature review that summarizes the existing research on the topic. Objectives or goals : This component outlines the specific objectives or goals that the research seeks to achieve. It should be clear and concise, and should align with the research problem or question. Methodology : This component describes the research methods and techniques that will be used to collect and analyze data. It should be detailed enough to provide a clear understanding of how the research will be conducted, including the sampling method, data collection tools, and statistical analyses. Significance or contribution : This component explains the significance or contribution of the research topic. It should demonstrate how the research will add to the existing knowledge in the field, and how it will benefit practitioners, policymakers, or society at large. Limitations: This component outlines the limitations of the research, including any potential biases, assumptions, or constraints. It should be transparent and honest about the potential shortcomings of the research, and how these limitations will be addressed. Expected outcomes or findings : This component provides an overview of the expected outcomes or findings of the research project. It should be realistic and based on the research objectives and methodology. Purpose of Research Topic The purpose of a research topic is to identify a specific area of inquiry that the researcher wants to explore and investigate. A research topic is typically a broad area of interest that requires further exploration and refinement through the research process. It provides a clear focus and direction for the research project, and helps to define the research questions and objectives. A well-defined research topic also helps to ensure that the research is relevant and useful, and can contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the field. Ultimately, the purpose of a research topic is to generate new insights, knowledge, and understanding about a particular phenomenon, issue, or problem. Characteristics of Research Topic some common characteristics of a well-defined research topic include: Relevance : A research topic should be relevant and significant to the field of study and address a current issue, problem, or gap in knowledge. Specificity : A research topic should be specific enough to allow for a focused investigation and clear understanding of the research question. Feasibility : A research topic should be feasible, meaning it should be possible to carry out the research within the given constraints of time, resources, and expertise. Novelty : A research topic should add to the existing body of knowledge by introducing new ideas, concepts, or theories. Clarity : A research topic should be clearly articulated and easy to understand, both for the researcher and for potential readers of the research. Importance : A research topic should be important and have practical implications for the field or society as a whole. Significance : A research topic should be significant and have the potential to generate new insights and understanding in the field. Examples of Research Topics Here are some examples of research topics that are currently relevant and in-demand in various fields: The impact of social media on mental health: With the rise of social media use, this topic has gained significant attention in recent years. Researchers could investigate how social media affects self-esteem, body image, and other mental health concerns. The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare: As healthcare becomes increasingly digitalized, researchers could explore the use of AI algorithms to predict and prevent disease, optimize treatment plans, and improve patient outcomes. Renewable energy and sustainable development: As the world seeks to reduce its carbon footprint, researchers could investigate the potential of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, and how these technologies can be integrated into existing infrastructure. The impact of workplace diversity and inclusion on employee productivity: With an increasing focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, researchers could investigate how these factors affect employee morale, productivity, and retention. Cybersecurity and data privacy: As data breaches and cyber attacks become more common, researchers could explore new methods of protecting sensitive information and preventing malicious attacks. T he impact of mindfulness and meditation on stress reduction: As stress-related health issues become more prevalent, researchers could investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness and meditation practices on reducing stress and improving overall well-being. Research Topics Ideas Here are some Research Topics Ideas from different fields: The impact of social media on mental health and well-being. The effectiveness of various teaching methods in improving academic performance in high schools. The role of AI and machine learning in healthcare: current applications and future potentials. The impact of climate change on wildlife habitats and conservation efforts. The effects of video game violence on aggressive behavior in young adults. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques in reducing anxiety and depression. The impact of technology on human relationships and social interactions. The role of exercise in promoting physical and mental health in older adults. The causes and consequences of income inequality in developed and developing countries. The effects of cultural diversity in the workplace on job satisfaction and productivity. The impact of remote work on employee productivity and work-life balance. The relationship between sleep patterns and cognitive functioning. The effectiveness of online learning versus traditional classroom learning. The role of government policies in promoting renewable energy adoption. The effects of childhood trauma on mental health in adulthood. The impact of social media on political participation and civic engagement. The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating anxiety disorders. The relationship between nutrition and cognitive functioning. The impact of gentrification on urban communities. The effects of music on mood and emotional regulation. The impact of microplastics on marine ecosystems and food webs. The role of artificial intelligence in detecting and preventing cyberattacks. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in managing chronic pain. The relationship between personality traits and job satisfaction. The effects of social isolation on mental and physical health in older adults. The impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on healthcare access and outcomes. The effectiveness of psychotherapy in treating depression and anxiety in adolescents. The relationship between exercise and cognitive aging. The effects of social media on body image and self-esteem. The role of corporate social responsibility in promoting sustainable business practices. The impact of mindfulness meditation on attention and focus in children. The relationship between political polarization and media consumption habits. The effects of urbanization on mental health and well-being. The role of social support in managing chronic illness. The impact of social media on romantic relationships and dating behaviors. The effectiveness of behavioral interventions in promoting physical activity in sedentary adults. The relationship between sleep quality and immune function. The effects of workplace diversity and inclusion programs on employee retention. The impact of climate change on global food security. The role of music therapy in improving communication and social skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The impact of cultural values on the development of mental health stigma. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques in reducing burnout in healthcare professionals. The relationship between social media use and body dissatisfaction among adolescents. The effects of nature exposure on cognitive functioning and well-being. The role of peer mentoring in promoting academic success in underrepresented student populations. The impact of neighborhood characteristics on physical activity and obesity. The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation interventions in improving cognitive functioning in individuals with traumatic brain injury. The relationship between organizational culture and employee job satisfaction. The effects of cultural immersion experiences on intercultural competence development. The role of assistive technology in promoting independence and quality of life for individuals with disabilities. The impact of workplace design on employee productivity and well-being. The impact of digital technologies on the music industry and artist revenues. The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in treating insomnia. The relationship between social media use and body weight perception among young adults. The effects of green spaces on mental health and well-being in urban areas. The role of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing substance use disorders. The impact of workplace bullying on employee turnover and job satisfaction. The effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy in treating mental health disorders. The relationship between teacher-student relationships and academic achievement. The effects of social support on resilience in individuals experiencing adversity. The role of cognitive aging in driving safety and mobility. The effectiveness of psychotherapy in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The relationship between social media use and sleep quality. The effects of cultural competency training on healthcare providers’ attitudes and behaviors towards diverse patient populations. The role of exercise in preventing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The impact of the gig economy on job security and worker rights. The effectiveness of art therapy in promoting emotional regulation and coping skills in children and adolescents. The relationship between parenting styles and child academic achievement. The effects of social comparison on well-being and self-esteem. The role of nutrition in promoting healthy aging and longevity. The impact of gender diversity in leadership on organizational performance. The effectiveness of family-based interventions in treating eating disorders. The relationship between social media use and perceived loneliness among older adults. The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on pain management in chronic pain patients. The role of physical activity in preventing and treating depression. The impact of cultural differences on communication and conflict resolution in international business. The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in treating anxiety disorders. The relationship between student engagement and academic success in higher education. The effects of discrimination on mental health outcomes in minority populations. The role of virtual reality in enhancing learning experiences. The impact of social media influencers on consumer behavior and brand loyalty. The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in treating chronic pain. The relationship between social media use and body image dissatisfaction among men. The effects of exposure to nature on cognitive functioning and creativity. The role of spirituality in coping with illness and disability. The impact of automation on employment and job displacement. The effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in treating borderline personality disorder. The relationship between teacher-student relationships and school attendance. The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on workplace stress and burnout. The role of exercise in promoting cognitive functioning and brain health in older adults. The impact of diversity and inclusion initiatives on organizational innovation and creativity. The effectiveness of cognitive remediation therapy in treating schizophrenia. The relationship between social media use and body dissatisfaction among women. The effects of exposure to natural light on mood and sleep quality. The role of spirituality in enhancing well-being and resilience in military personnel. The impact of artificial intelligence on job training and skill development. The effectiveness of interpersonal therapy (IPT) in treating depression. The relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement among low-income students. The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on emotional regulation and coping skills in trauma survivors. The role of nutrition in preventing and treating mental health disorders. About the author Muhammad Hassan Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer You may also like Research Process – Steps, Examples and Tips Research Problem – Examples, Types and Guide Research Findings – Types Examples and Writing... Table of Contents – Types, Formats, Examples Data Interpretation – Process, Methods and... Theoretical Framework – Types, Examples and... Food & Climate Solutions Research Fellow Project Drawdown is searching for  1–2 part-time Research Fellows to help us assess potential food-related climate solutions. Fellows will conduct high-level technical and scientific reviews of these potential climate solutions – reviewing the international peer-reviewed literature and conducting meta-analyses of the effectiveness, cost, and adoption of different solutions.  About Project Drawdown Project Drawdown is the world’s leading resource for climate solutions. Our mission is to help the world stop climate change – as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible. To do this, we pursue three key strategies: Advance Effective, Science-based Climate Solutions and Strategies: We do the science no one else does to cut through the noise and find effective “whole system” solutions and strategies for stopping climate change. Foster Bold, New Climate Leadership: We inform, inspire, and empower business leaders, investors, and philanthropists to take bold, new positions, act more strategically, and rapidly bring climate solutions to scale. Promote New Narratives and New Voices: We work to shift the conversation about climate change from “doom and gloom” to “possibility and opportunity” and elevate new, underrepresented climate heroes through storytelling and “passing the mic.” Position Description Project Drawdown is looking for 1-2 Research Fellows to join our team, starting in Summer 2024. Fellows are anticipated to commit on average 20 hours/week over 3 to 4 months.  Drawdown Research Fellows will analyze potential climate solutions, drawing upon years of advanced study, experience, and a wide range of backgrounds. Fellows will use quantitative findings from the international scientific literature to assess each potential solution’s effectiveness, cost, adoption, and other characteristics. Fellows will also produce written reports, tables, and charts – all accessible to a general audience – summarizing key findings. Fellows will work with scientists at Project Drawdown to conduct these assessments as a group. Fellowship Subject Areas We are looking for individuals with knowledge and expertise in  global food production, agriculture, and land use – and how they drive emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, leading to climate change.  We are seeking individuals who can help us explore potential solutions that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from the global food system, especially solutions linked to changes in diet, curbing food waste, changing biofuel policies, protecting natural ecosystems, and rewilding abandoned agricultural lands. Fellows will work alongside other experts who are focused on changing agricultural practices and how they lead to reduced emissions and carbon sequestration. Qualifications Master’s degree with thesis, or equivalent research experience 2+ years of combined research experience in subject area(s) noted above Strong research, analysis, and writing skills. Demonstrated ability and commitment to conduct research, produce scholarly work, and critically evaluate the work of others Experience preparing clear, compelling, and high-quality reports and presentations Ability to work effectively as a team member and to carry out projects Capable of managing own time and meeting deadlines In addition, candidates are required to be: comfortable with teleconferencing, remote work, and virtual collaboration  available to participate in video conferences weekdays 9:00am–5:00pm Central Time US able to use Google Sheets and Google Docs for delivering individual work products and collaboratively. Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely than others to apply for jobs if they don’t believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and we are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. That candidate may be one who comes from a background less traditional to our field of work, and that’s okay. We would strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described. Position Details  Research fellows will be compensated between US$30-40/hour, commensurate with experience. Fellows will be independent contractors paid by the hour and will not receive benefits. This position entails remote work only. No travel is required for this role. Project Drawdown welcomes people of all backgrounds, identities, and beliefs to join us in helping the world reach drawdown quickly, safely, and equitably. We are a 100% remote organization based in the U.S.  Candidates must be authorized to work as an independent contractor to a US-based entity, or equivalent term in their location, in their country, and according to local regulations. By submitting an application, candidates are confirming that they have the required certification (if needed) to accept work as an independent contractor. Project Drawdown is not able to accept applications from candidates in Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, Russia, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, or other countries that are currently sanctioned by the U.S. How to Apply  To be considered for this position, submit your application at  https://form.jotform.com/241756044218152 including: Cover letter that describes your experience and fit for this role, describing your research experiences and highlighting your relevant educational and work experiences. Most recent resume or CV. Two recent writing samples – ideally one example of technical writing (a research paper, report, or journal article) and one of popular writing (an op-ed, essay, or plain language article). Applications will be accepted until July 15, 2024 . Interviews are expected to begin in late July. Applicants selected for interviews will be required to provide at least two professional references. Project Drawdown is an equal opportunity employer committed to having a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Project Drawdown does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by law, and we will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. We strongly encourage all qualified persons worldwide to apply for this position. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and the organization’s need. Sign Up For Our Newsletter National Cancer Institute - Cancer.gov Postdoctoral Fellow - Ephrin/Eph Signaling in Lung Development and Regeneration Job description. Ephrin/Eph signaling in lung development and regeneration: Postdoctoral project Interactions between epithelial and endothelial cells in the lung alveolus are required to establish the gas exchange interface and mediate the critical function of the lung: transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the body and the external environment. Incomplete lung development, acute or chronic respiratory diseases, and lung cancer disrupt this interface and are leading causes of death worldwide. A recent longitudinal analysis of the regenerative response of the lung alveolus to influenza infection has demonstrated that the cellular compartments of the lung respond differently to injury and that the timing and extent of cellular interactions across the alveolus likely determine the success or failure of regeneration. Large genomic datasets have revolutionized our approach to studying complex tissues; however, it is essential to expand studies of novel cell states to determine how cells interact with one another to direct tissue morphogenesis. Mapping communication between cellular compartments in the alveolus during regeneration using CellChat has identified a potential role for endothelial-epithelial ephrin/Eph signaling in lung repair. Ephrin/Eph signaling often requires cell-cell contact, and signaling downstream of Ephs and ephrins is known to modulate cell self-organization and tissue morphogenesis in multiple contexts. Because communication and interaction between the lung epithelium and endothelium is required to reestablish the gas exchange interface after injury and restore lung function, ephrin/Eph signaling may play an essential role in cell-cell communication leading to repair of lung tissue structure. Thus, a postdoctoral fellow position is available for a very interesting collaborative study that will dovetail the Daar laboratory interests with the laboratory of Dr. Terren Niethamer. The successful candidate for this position will integrate analysis of genomic datasets with studies of ephrin/Eph signaling and morphogenesis in both in vivo (model organism) and ex vivo (cell culture) systems. This project will provide insight into the role of endothelial Eph/ephrin signaling in lung development and regeneration and determine how endothelial cells interact with their niche to form 3D structures necessary for organ development, function, and repair. In addition, the established role of ephrin/Eph signaling in cancer progression and the emerging role for endothelial cell signaling in metastasis indicate that these mechanisms may be co-opted by cancer cells to drive tumor progression. - Analysis of scRNA-seq data to identify the timing of expression and level of expression of Eph/ephrin pathway members in lung cells during regeneration following influenza infection - In vivo validation of ephrin/Eph pathway member expression using immunofluorescence and/or RNAscope in mouse and human tissue sections - Inhibition of ephrin/Eph signaling in an ex vivo alveolar organoid system or cultured precision-cut lung slices - Inhibiiton of ephrin/Eph signaling using mouse genetic knockout experiments during postnatal alveologenesis, adult homeostasis, and regeneration following influenza infection Overall goal: Determine whether loss of identified Eph/ephrin signaling pathway members results in changes to alveologenesis or regeneration following influenza infection, with a particular focus on changes to alveolar structure and cell behavior. Qualifications and Job Details Required and preferred skills. A strong background in molecular, cellular, or developmental biology is required. Interested candidates should have a Ph.D. and/or an M.D. and have less than 5 years postdoctoral experience. About the NCI Center for Cancer Research The Center for Cancer Research (CCR) is home to nearly 250 basic and clinical research groups located on two campuses just outside of Washington, D.C. CCR is part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and makes up the largest component of the research effort at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Centrally supported by long-term funding and a culture of complete intellectual freedom, CCR scientists are able to pursue the most important and challenging problems in cancer research. We collaborate with academic and commercial partners and advocacy groups across the world in efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and HIV/AIDS. The CCR research portfolio covers the full spectrum of biological and biomedical research. Our work ranges from basic to translational and clinical, and our clinical trials are conducted in the NIH Clinical Center, the world’s largest hospital dedicated to clinical research that offers a robust infrastructure to support CCR’s patients on an estimated 250 open studies. The success of CCR is grounded in an exceptionally strong discovery research program that provides the foundation for the seamless translation of insights from bench to bedside. Read more  about CCR , the  benefits  of working at CCR and hear from  our staff  on their CCR experiences. Frederick is the second largest city in Maryland but retains a “small town” feel, surrounded by mountain views with a vibrant Main Street community. The city offers outstanding schools, a balanced and thriving economy and a highly educated workforce. 3 References Cover Letter Summary of Research Experience Our laboratory is located at the NCI-Frederick campus and offers state-of-the-art facilities in an exciting environment for postdoctoral research. The NCI offers competitive postdoctoral stipends. Qualifying fellows from abroad will be provided a J-1 Visa. Probllama: Ollama Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2024-37032) – Overview and Mitigations Wiz Research discovered CVE-2024-37032, an easy-to-exploit Remote Code Execution vulnerability in the open-source AI Infrastructure project Ollama. Introduction & Overview  Ollama is one of the most popular open-source projects for running AI Models, with over 70k stars on GitHub and hundreds of thousands of monthly pulls on Docker Hub . Inspired by Docker, Ollama aims to simplify the process of packaging and deploying AI models.  Wiz Research discovered an easy-to-exploit Remote Code Execution vulnerability in Ollama: CVE-2024-37032, dubbed “Probllama.” This security issue was responsibly disclosed to Ollama’s maintainers and has since been mitigated. Ollama users are encouraged to upgrade their Ollama installation to version 0.1.34 or newer.  Our research indicates that, as of June 10, there are a large number of Ollama instances running a vulnerable version that are exposed to the internet. In this blog post, we will detail what we found and how we found it, as well as mitigation techniques and preventative measures organizations can take moving forward.   AI Security Takeaways  Taken as a whole – and in light of the Wiz Research team’s ongoing focus on the risk inherent to AI systems – our findings underscore the fact that AI security measure s have been largely sidelined in favor of focusing on the transformative power of this technology, and its potential to revolutionize the way business gets done.   Organizations are rapidly adopting a variety of new AI tools and infrastructure in an attempt to hone their competitive edge. These tools are often at an early stage of development and lack standardized security features, such as authentication. Additionally, due to their young code base, it is relatively easier to find critical software vulnerabilities, making them perfect targets for potential threat actors. This is a recurring theme in our discoveries – see prior Wiz Research work on AI-as-a-service-providers Hugging Face and Replicate , as well as our State of AI in the Cloud report and last year’s discovery of 38TB of data that was accidentally leaked by AI researchers.   Over the past year, multiple remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities were identified in inference servers, including TorchServe, Ray Anyscale, and Ollama. These vulnerabilities could allow attackers to take over self-hosted AI inference servers, steal or modify AI models, and compromise AI applications.   The critical issue is not just the vulnerabilities themselves but the inherent lack of authentication support in these new tools. If exposed to the internet, any attacker can connect to them, steal or modify the AI models, or even execute remote code as a built-in feature (as seen with TorchServe and Ray Anyscale ). The lack of authentication support means these tools should never be exposed externally without protective middleware, such as a reverse proxy with authentication. Despite this, when scanning the internet for exposed Ollama servers, our scan revealed over 1,000 exposed instances hosting numerous AI models, including private models not listed in the Ollama public repository, highlighting a significant security gap.  CROC Talks: RCE Vulnerability in Ollama explained RCE Vulnerability in Ollama explained Mitigation & detection  To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must send specially crafted HTTP requests to the Ollama API server. In the default Linux installation , the API server binds to localhost, which reduces remote exploitation risk significantly. However, in docker deployments ( ollama/ollama ), the API server is publicly exposed , and therefore could be exploited remotely.  Wiz customers can use the pre-built query and advisory in the Wiz Threat Center to search for vulnerable instances in their environment.  Explanation and Technical Description  Why research ollama . Our research team makes an active effort to contribute to the security of AI services, tooling, and infrastructure, and we also use AI in our research work.  For a different project, we looked to leverage a large-context AI model. Luckily, around that time, Gradient released their Llama3 version which has a context of 1m tokens .   Being one of the most popular open-source projects for running AI Models with over 70k stars on GitHub and hundreds of thousands of monthly pulls on Docker Hub , Ollama seemed to be the simplest way to self-host that model 😊.   Ollama Architecture  Ollama consists of two main components: a client and a server. The server exposes multiple APIs to perform core functions, such as pulling a model from the registry, generating a prediction for a given prompt, etc. The client is what the user interacts with (i.e. the front-end), which could be, for example, a CLI (command-line interface).  While experimenting with Ollama, our team found a critical security vulnerability in an Ollama server. Due to insufficient input validation, it is possible to exploit a Path Traversal vulnerability to arbitrarily overwrite files on the server. This can be further exploited into a full Remote Code Execution as we demonstrate below.  This issue is extremely severe in Docker installations, as the server runs with root privileges and listens on 0.0.0.0 by default – which enables remote exploitation of this vulnerability.  It is important to mention that Ollama does not support authentication out-of-the-box. It is generally recommended to deploy Ollama behind a reverse-proxy to enforce authentication, if the user decides to expose its installation. In practice, our research indicates that there are a large number of installations exposed to the internet without any sort of authentication.  The Vulnerability: Arbitrary File Write via Path Traversal  Ollama’s HTTP server exposes multiple API endpoints that perform various actions.   One of the endpoints, /api/pull , can be used to download a model from an Ollama registry.  By default, models are downloaded from Ollama’s official registry ( registry.ollama.com ), however, it is also possible to fetch models from private registries. While Ollama's official registry can be considered "trusted," anyone can set up their own registry and host models on it. As researchers, we were interested in this attack surface – are private registries being blindly trusted? What damage could a malicious private registry cause?  What we found is that when pulling a model from a private registry (by querying the http://[victim]:11434/api/pull API endpoint), it is possible to supply a malicious manifest file that contains a path traversal payload in the digest field.  The digest field of a given layer should be equal to the hash of the layer. Among other things, the digest of the layer is also used to store the model file on the disk:   /root/.ollama/models/blobs/sha256-04778965089b91318ad61d0995b7e44fad4b9a9f4e049d7be90932bf8812e828 However, we found that the digest field was used without proper validation, resulting in path traversal when attempting to store it on the filesystem. This issue can be exploited to corrupt arbitrary files on the system.  Achieving Arbitrary File Read  By exploiting the previous issue, we can plant an additional malicious manifest file on the server (e.g /root/.ollama/models/manifests/%ATTACKER_IP%/library/manifest/latest ), which effectively registers a new model to the server. We found out that if our model’s manifest contains a traversal payload for the digest of one of its layers, when attempting to push this model to a remote registry via the http://[victim]:11434/api/push endpoint, the server will leak the content of the file specified in the digest field.  Finally, Remote Code Execution  As we mentioned previously, it is possible to exploit the Arbitrary File Write vulnerability to corrupt certain files in the system. In Docker installations, it is pretty straightforward to exploit it and achieve Remote Code Execution , as the server runs with root privileges.  The simplest way we thought of achieving remote-code-execution would be to corrupt ld.so configuration files, specifically /etc/ld.so.preload . This file contains a whitespace - separated list of shared libraries that should be loaded whenever a new process starts. Using our Arbitrary File Write exploit-primitive, we plant our payload as a shared library on the filesystem ( /root/bad.so ) and then we corrupt etc/ld.so.preload to include it. Finally, we query the /api/chat endpoint on the Ollama API Server, which subsequently creates a new process and thus loads our payload!  Regarding exploitation of instances which do not run with root privileges - we do have a strategy for exploitation that leverages our /Arbitrary File Read primitive. However, it will be left as an exercise for the reader 😊  Conclusions   CVE-2024-37032 is an easy-to-exploit remote code execution that affects modern AI infrastructure. Despite the codebase being relatively new and written in modern programming languages, classic vulnerabilities such as Path Traversal remain an issue.  Security teams should update their Ollama instances to the latest version to mitigate this vulnerability. Furthermore, it is recommended not to expose Ollama to the internet unless it is protected by some sort of authentication mechanism, such a reverse-proxy.  Responsible disclosure timeline  We responsibly disclosed this vulnerability to Ollama’s development team in May 2024. Ollama promptly investigated and addressed the issue while keeping us updated.  May 5, 2024 – Wiz Research reported the issue to Ollama. May 5, 2024 – Ollama acknowledged the receipt of the report.  May 5, 2024 – Ollama notified Wiz Research that they committed a fix to GitHub.  May 8, 2024 – Ollama released a patched version.  June 24, 2024 – Wiz Research published a blog about the issue.  Ollama committed a fix in about 4 hours after receiving our initial report, demonstrating an impressive response time and commitment to their product security.  Continue reading GenAI risks to be aware of — and prepare for — according to Gartner® The deployment of GenAI, LLMs, and chat interfaces expands potential attack surfaces and poses increased security threats. Wiz for Gov is in process for DoD IL4 Authorization We are excited to be ‘in-process’ for DoD IL4, continuing our commitment to helping public sector secure everything they build and run in the cloud Wiz at Re:Inforce 2024 See what’s new with Wiz at Re:Inforce 2024 with this year’s recap Ready to see Wiz in action? “Best User Experience I have ever seen, provides full visibility to cloud workloads.” “Wiz provides a single pane of glass to see what is going on in our cloud environments.” “We know that if Wiz identifies something as critical, it actually is.” Have a language expert improve your writing Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free. Knowledge Base Methodology Descriptive Research | Definition, Types, Methods & Examples Descriptive Research | Definition, Types, Methods & Examples Published on May 15, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on June 22, 2023. Descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon. It can answer what , where , when and how   questions , but not why questions. A descriptive research design can use a wide variety of research methods  to investigate one or more variables . Unlike in experimental research , the researcher does not control or manipulate any of the variables, but only observes and measures them. Table of contents When to use a descriptive research design, descriptive research methods, other interesting articles. Descriptive research is an appropriate choice when the research aim is to identify characteristics, frequencies, trends, and categories. It is useful when not much is known yet about the topic or problem. Before you can research why something happens, you need to understand how, when and where it happens. Descriptive research question examples How has the Amsterdam housing market changed over the past 20 years? Do customers of company X prefer product X or product Y? What are the main genetic, behavioural and morphological differences between European wildcats and domestic cats? What are the most popular online news sources among under-18s? How prevalent is disease A in population B? Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on: Academic style Vague sentences Style consistency See an example Descriptive research is usually defined as a type of quantitative research , though qualitative research can also be used for descriptive purposes. The research design should be carefully developed to ensure that the results are valid and reliable . Survey research allows you to gather large volumes of data that can be analyzed for frequencies, averages and patterns. Common uses of surveys include: Describing the demographics of a country or region Gauging public opinion on political and social topics Evaluating satisfaction with a company’s products or an organization’s services Observations Observations allow you to gather data on behaviours and phenomena without having to rely on the honesty and accuracy of respondents. This method is often used by psychological, social and market researchers to understand how people act in real-life situations. Observation of physical entities and phenomena is also an important part of research in the natural sciences. Before you can develop testable hypotheses , models or theories, it’s necessary to observe and systematically describe the subject under investigation. Case studies A case study can be used to describe the characteristics of a specific subject (such as a person, group, event or organization). Instead of gathering a large volume of data to identify patterns across time or location, case studies gather detailed data to identify the characteristics of a narrowly defined subject. Rather than aiming to describe generalizable facts, case studies often focus on unusual or interesting cases that challenge assumptions, add complexity, or reveal something new about a research problem . If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples. Normal distribution Degrees of freedom Null hypothesis Discourse analysis Control groups Mixed methods research Non-probability sampling Quantitative research Ecological validity Research bias Rosenthal effect Implicit bias Cognitive bias Selection bias Negativity bias Status quo bias Cite this Scribbr article If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator. McCombes, S. (2023, June 22). Descriptive Research | Definition, Types, Methods & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/descriptive-research/ Is this article helpful? Shona McCombes Other students also liked, what is quantitative research | definition, uses & methods, correlational research | when & how to use, descriptive statistics | definitions, types, examples, get unlimited documents corrected. ✔ Free APA citation check included ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts Site Search About ARPA-E Team Directory ARPA-E History Annual Reports Budget Requests Apply For Funding Authorization View Active Programs Search Our Programs Search Individual Projects Interactive Project Map Exploratory Topics The SCALEUP Program OPEN Programs ARPA-E Technology-to-Market Technology Commercialization External Engagement Model Investor Updates ARPA-E News & Media Press Releases ARPA-E Disruptors Publications ARPA-E Events Energy Innovation Summit Careers at ARPA-E Job Opportunities Life at ARPA-E Pre-Award Guidance Post-Award Guidance ARPA-E FAQs General Questions Current Funding Opportunities Closed Funding Opportunities Press Release U.S. Department of Energy Announces Over $63 Million to Support Commercialization of Transformative Energy Technologies WASHINGTON, D.C. —  In support of President Biden's Investing in America agenda , the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $63.5 million for four transformative technologies through the Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program. The four projects have demonstrated a viable path to market and represent technologies focused on aerogels for energy-efficient insulated glass units, thermal batteries to supply combined heat and power from renewable electricity, energy-dense solid state batteries, and cement decarbonization. SCALEUP supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to advance critical research and development helping to propel America’s energy innovation leadership on the global stage. “America is an innovation superpower, and President Biden is helping to scale up the next generation of clean energy solutions that will advance the nation even further toward our net-zero goals,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “By catalyzing the commercialization of promising technologies, we are empowering the private sector to go all in to boost American manufacturing, strengthen national security and ensure our competitive edge.”  The SCALEUP program provides new funding to previous ARPA-E awardees that have successfully de-risked their technology and established a viable route to commercial deployment. The four projects selected as part of the latest SCALEUP program are:  AeroShield Materials (Waltham, MA) will develop a pilot manufacturing facility for aerogels for high-efficiency insulated glass units that will enable residential and commercial buildings to become more energy efficient, meeting current and future ENERGY STAR targets for windows. (Award amount: $14,500,000)  Antora Energy (Sunnyvale, CA) will scale up production of its thermal battery technology, which turns low-cost renewable energy into reliable, on-demand heat and power for industrial facilities, enabling rapid decarbonization of the industrial sector. (Award amount: $14,500,000)  Ion Storage Systems (Beltsville, MD) will support domestic manufacturing of next generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries and accelerate commercialization of the technology into the electric vehicle market. (Award amount: $20,000,000) Queens Carbon (Pine Brook, NJ) will develop an on-site pilot facility capable of producing carbon-neutral supplemental cementitious materials using industry standard raw materials to support decarbonized cement production. (Award amount: $14,500,000)  This is the third cohort of projects selected under the SCALEUP program, and you can access full project descriptions for the technologies above on the ARPA-E website. One of the project teams from the initial SCALEUP—Natron Energy, a global leader in sodium-ion battery technology—recently began commercial-scale operations at its manufacturing facility in Holland, Michigan.  LongPath Technologies—another awardee from the initial SCALEUP—has created a paradigm shift in methane detection and mitigation by developing technologies capable of detecting over 90% of methane leaks down to 0.2 kg/hr from nearly a mile away. LongPath recently received an LPO conditional commitment of $189 million. Finally, Sila—a next-generation battery materials company also funded under SCALEUP—was selected to received up to   $100 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)   to support the build-out of a facility in Moses Lake, Washington. Early ARPA-E funding and SCALEUP support were instrumental in the company’s success, and continued support demonstrates how critical President Biden’s whole-of-government strategy is to supporting energy technology from early stages, such as R&D, to full-scale deployment.   In 2021, ARPA-E issued the second SCALEUP program, which went on to support work in hybrid electric aircraft; high-power density magnetic components; efficient, cost-effective and compact U.S.-manufactured electric vehicle charging equipment; wood products that are stronger, lighter and less expensive than structural steel; rare earth-free permanent magnets; floating offshore wind; and geomechanical energy storage.  The SCALEUP program has successfully demonstrated what can happen when technical experts are empowered with the commercialization support to develop a strong pathway to market, and this latest cohort furthers the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to supporting American energy innovation.  Press and General Inquiries: 202-287-5440 [email protected] 257 IMAGES FREE 12+ Sample Research Project Templates in PDF Sample Research Project Description Sample Project Description One Page Research Proposal With Project Description Presentation Report 8+ Project Description Templates Google Docs HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE RESEARCH PROJECT ABSTRACT by researchwap VIDEO Creating a research proposal Proposal 101: What Is A Research Topic? How to differentiate Research vs Project vs Research Project Research Proposal Components: The Basics YouDescribe DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH DESIGN || PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2 COMMENTS Research Project Research Project is a planned and systematic investigation into a specific area of interest or problem, with the goal of generating new knowledge, insights, or solutions. It typically involves identifying a research question or hypothesis, designing a study to test it, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions based on the findings. PDF Definition of A Research Project and Specifications for Fulfilling the research project is a scientific endeavor to answer a research question. Research projects may include: Case series. Case control study. Cohort study. Randomized, controlled trial. Survey. Secondary data analysis such as decision analysis, cost effectiveness analysis or meta-analysis. Each resident must work under the guidance of a faculty mentor. How to Write a Research Proposal Research questions give your project a clear focus. They should be specific and feasible, but complex enough to merit a detailed answer. 2615. How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates A literature review is a survey of scholarly knowledge on a topic. Our guide with examples, video, and templates can help you write yours. Describing your research project The formula to please all your audience is very simple. A typical 500-word project description (plus one picture with a short caption and as many references as you want) will normally consist of about five roughly 100-word paragraphs that should be addressed to the following audiences: G, G, D, S, G. For fuller details, the actual content, see ... How to do a research project for your academic study A description of the publications; A summary of the main points; An evaluation on the contribution to the area of study; ... As a research project is your own ideas blended with information and research from existing knowledge, you must include a list of correctly cited references. Creating a list of references will allow the reader to easily ... Sample Research Project Description Sample Research Project Description Research Goals We want to understand the development of the human visual system. This knowledge will help in the prevention and treatment of certain vision problems in children. Further, the rules that guide development in the visual system can be applied to other systems within the brain. PDF How to write a research project The five key aspects of managing a research project are: 1) Clarify aims, 2) define activities, 3) identify milestones, 4) establish/define priorities, 5) monitor and evaluate your plan and progress. 1.Clarify aims. What is it that you hope to accomplish with your research project? What Is a Research Design A research project is an academic, scientific, or professional undertaking to answer a research question. Research projects can take many forms, such as qualitative or quantitative, descriptive, longitudinal, experimental, or correlational. What kind of research approach you choose will depend on your topic. Writing a Project Description Writing a Project Description. When writing a project description for external funding always think of your audience. It is essential to use plain English, define your key terms and cite key international and easily accessible references wherever possible. Succinctness and clarity is key. All funding agencies have a page limit with 6-8 pages ... What is a research project? What is a research project? A research project is an academic, scientific, or professional undertaking to answer a research question.Research projects can take many forms, such as qualitative or quantitative, descriptive, longitudinal, experimental, or correlational.What kind of research approach you choose will depend on your topic. Research Summary Research Summary. Definition: A research summary is a brief and concise overview of a research project or study that highlights its key findings, main points, and conclusions. It typically includes a description of the research problem, the research methods used, the results obtained, and the implications or significance of the findings. How to Write a Project Description: A Quick Guide Everything in the project description should connect to the purpose of the project. Now you're ready to write the project description, which should follow these six steps. 1. Summarize. Begin with an outline that should only be a few lines long, but answers the who, what, where, how and why of the project. 2. The What: Defining a research project » Abstract According to a Rutgers University resource titled, Definition of a research project and specifications for fulfilling the requirement, "A research project is a scientific endeavor to answer a research question.". Specifically, projects may take the form of "case series, case control study, cohort study, randomized, controlled trial ... Write a Project Description with Examples A project description is a high-level overview of why you're doing a project. The document explains a project's objectives and its essential qualities. Think of it as the elevator pitch that focuses on what and why without delving into how. You typically draft a project description early on, during the project initiation phase of the ... Project Summary and Project Description Applicants have considerable freedom in developing the format Project Descriptions. NSF requires that CAREER Project Descriptions contain" a well-argued and specific proposal for activities that will, over a 5-year period, build a firm foundation for a lifetime of contributions to research and education in the context of the PI's organization". What Is A Research Proposal? Examples + Template The research topic is too broad (or just poorly articulated). The research aims, objectives and questions don't align. The research topic is not well justified. The study has a weak theoretical foundation. The research design is not well articulated well enough. Poor writing and sloppy presentation. Poor project planning and risk management. Research Methodology Research methodology formats can vary depending on the specific requirements of the research project, but the following is a basic example of a structure for a research methodology section: I. Introduction. Provide an overview of the research problem and the need for a research methodology section; Outline the main research questions and ... Tips on Writing the Project Description Use a figure or diagram. A picture is worth (more than) a thousand words. There is no substitute for this. As a corollary to this premise, don't use a figure unless you talk about it in the text. And provide a detailed caption. Use the caption to re-emphasize important points. And finally, a word of caution. What are the key points in short descriptions of research experience? When writing short descriptions of research experiences as a student (undergrad or postgrad), what are the key points that professors, potential collaborators and admission committees would like to see? ... In a one-sentence statement, I want to state as precisely and concisely as possible as much relevant detail about the project I was working ... Description of research projet Descriptions of Research Project _____ Step 1: Choose a research Topic: Decide on what do you want to research on? At this point, you must have clear questions in your mind that need to be elaborated for your outlines. This can be emerged either from your readings or observations in the current perspectives of international development, the ... Collecting Multilingual Parallel Video Descriptions Using Mechanical Turk In this project we introduce a novel annotation task that uses short video clips (usually less than 10 seconds) as the stimulus to elicit parallel linguistic responses from the annotators. Descriptions of the same video in the same language can then be used as paraphrases of each other while descriptions in different languages can be used as ... Research Methods Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Developing your research methods is an integral part of your research design. When planning your methods, there are two key decisions you will make. First, decide how you will collect data. Your methods depend on what type of data you need to answer your research question: PHD/POSTDOC ON INTERACTION DESIGN FOR CONTROL OF PARTLY ... Job description. Partly-autonomous systems, be it robots or cars, will change how people work, how people life and how people move. The focus of this research position is on how people can control ... Project 2025 Project 2025, also known as the Presidential Transition Project, is a collection of conservative policy proposals from The Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government in the event of a Republican Party victory in the 2024 presidential election. Established in 2022, the project has been most notable for how it aims to achieve its objectives. Research Topics Research Topic. Definition: Research topic is a specific subject or area of interest that a researcher wants to investigate or explore in-depth through research. It is the overarching theme or question that guides a research project and helps to focus the research activities towards a clear objective. Food & Climate Solutions Research Fellow Position Description. Project Drawdown is looking for 1-2 Research Fellows to join our team, starting in Summer 2024. Fellows are anticipated to commit on average 20 hours/week over 3 to 4 months. Drawdown Research Fellows will analyze potential climate solutions, drawing upon years of advanced study, experience, and a wide range of backgrounds. Postdoctoral Fellow Ephrin/Eph signaling in lung development and regeneration: Postdoctoral project. Interactions between epithelial and endothelial cells in the lung alveolus are required to establish the gas exchange interface and mediate the critical function of the lung: transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the body and the external environment. Probllama: Ollama Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2024-37032 Introduction & Overview Ollama is one of the most popular open-source projects for running AI Models, with over 70k stars on GitHub and hundreds of thousands of monthly pulls on Docker Hub.Inspired by Docker, Ollama aims to simplify the process of packaging and deploying AI models. Wiz Research discovered an easy-to-exploit Remote Code Execution vulnerability in Ollama: CVE-2024-37032, dubbed ... Descriptive Research Descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon. It can answer what, where, when and how questions, but not why questions. A descriptive research design can use a wide variety of research methods to investigate one or more variables. Unlike in experimental research, the researcher does ... Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. — In support of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $63.5 million for four transformative technologies through the Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program. The four projects have demonstrated a viable path to market and represent technologies focused on ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis