Chapter 12, The Final Touches

• Importance of revising


• Write front matter


• Write back matter


• Revision process to finish and polish

Seeing the proposal as a whole - does it achieve the purpose and address the needs of the reader?

Front matter -

• letter of transmittal - introduce the readers to the proposal, steers the proposal to the right people (intro, body, conclusion)


• cover page - identify the subject and set the tone - Title, client's name, name & logo of submitting organization, date submitted


• executive summary - synopsis that can be read in minutes - includes current situation, plan, qualifications, costs - follow structure of the proposal


• table of contents - needed in any document of more than 10 pages - mental framework - most efficient way to read text

Back matter - appendices - labeled with # or letter for reference in body of proposal - opening paragraph should introduce the contents (importance of the material and how it reinforces the argument

• Itemized budget and narrative
• resume key personnel - employment history, education, publications, special training or skills, awards, memberships in professional organizations
• analytical reports
• news or magazine articles - if discussed in the proposal, small paragraph that discusses the background of the document
• prior proposals - if discussed in the proposal, small paragraph that discusses the background of the document
• formulas and calculations - properly labeled to explain how it is used
• glossary - name of the item, class to which it belongs, features that distinguish it
• bibliography - list of printed sources, interviews, and other outside materials that were cited or consulted (APA scientific & technical, MLA nontechnical)
• personal or corporate references

Revising the proposal - rework sections so that they tell a consistent story

• Is the subject still the same?
• Does it achieve the stated purpose?
• Does it address the motives, values, attitudes, and emotions of the primary readers? gatekeepers? tertiary?
• Is it appropriate for the physical, economic, political, an ethical situations where it might be used?

Rethinking the problem or opportunity

• look at beginning notes - did you address the issue?
• reconsider - what changed? elements?
• is this the correct type of proposal? research, planning, implementation, estimate or combination?
• give clients what they asked for an NO more

Rethinking the rhetorical elements

• content - complete? missing info?
• organization - logical order? funder specific format?
• style - appropriate tone or persona?
• design - balanced with appropriate, consistent page design?

It should be a story which is

• complete,
• organized,
• easy to read,
• well designed

Progress Report 6-12-2008

Date: June 12, 2008



To: Professor Holmevik



From: Virginia D. Baird



Introduction



This proposal will develop a course to teach technical and rhetorical skills needed to write research proposals to graduate Ph.D. students and faculty in the field of Landscape Architecture in the focus area of health and design.

Work Completed

I wrote the first draft of my proposal and got feedback from Professor Holmevik. In response I have reduced my "not need to know" information thereby reducing my overall length. My literature review was just a bibliography at this point and I have flushed it out. What I had in the bibliography was moved to the proper place. I still have a section on NIH currently funded grants in the bibliography and I'm not certain how this material should be used. I'm leaving out the "this is how you take current work with Cities and Counties and turn it into research" and I feel that this piece is integral to my argument. I had six points and that needed to be reduced to to five and I have now consolidated two of my points and filled in information that was just outline last week.

We addressed the budget section but it was not pertinent to my proposal since I am doing this as a thesis/project and will be putting considerable time into it but will probably not need materials to complete it. I hope to contact other universities offering similar courses but there should not be a cost. The Medical School of South Carolina is working on an online master's in research administration and there is currently a degree offered at Johns Hopkins for medical doctors.

We have covered writing in plain sentences and plain paragraphs and when this is appropriate. The main item I took from this conversation was to write to your audience using language they expect to hear. I will be writing to university professors but my proposal is not intended for a particular discipline and while this is a highly educated audience the language will be geared to research in general. I still need to go over my language and weave emotion words into the text at strategic moments. I have adjusted some sentence length to longer sentences to slow the pace while using short sentences to intensify the urgency at some points.

Using a set design I have balanced my pages and pulled out information that I want to emphasize. I think my alignment now works well but will continue to look at it and revise as needed. There is some grouping into smaller and larger text but all text is currently Times New Roman and I would like to make some of the headings different. My audience is more progressive than traditional and I need to add more progressive elements. I've used a pull out but need to set it up better. I would like to add a sidebar with a story within the story. I had created a style sheet but need to revisit after new ideas were discussed in class.

Next Steps

I need to look closely at my sentence structure to be certain that the emphasis is in the right places. Rework my design and pay close attention to balance, alignment, grouping, and consistency.

My chair will be available later this week and I will ask her to read my proposal and give me feedback. Next week I will meet with her and begin the process to set up my committee and have my GS2 approved.

Chapter 11, Using Graphics

• Importance of graphics
• Appropriate graphics
• Proper use of tables and charts
• Proper use of photographs and drawings

Graphics

• serve as "access points" that move readers to the written text
• break up large blocks of written text
• reinforce the argument as readers tend to trust what they can see

Graphics should - guidelines

• tell a simple story at a glance
• reinforce the written text, not replace it (never use to decorate)
• be ethical (can erode the documents credibility)
• be labeled and placed properly (can make it easy to move from the text to the graphic and back to the text)

Graphics to display information and data

• line graphs
• bar charts suggest a physical quantity
• tables are the most efficient way to display a large amount of data in a small space
• pie charts can demonstrate how a whole is cut into parts - generally use a large amount of space
• organizational charts illustrate relationships among people, companies, and divisions, usually placed in the appendix with qualifications
• Gantt charts illustrate a timeline where stages overlap
• pictures can visually reinforce claims make in the written text, photographs of people, equipment and places should include them doing something that relates to the proposal
• drawings can be used to illustrate where pictures include more detail than needed and confuse the issue
• other graphics might be, plots, maps, flowcharts, blueprints, scatterplots, pictographs, logic trees, screen shots, etc.

Is is best to create each graphic as you are writing the proposal. If you wait, you will probably run out of time. Our society is becoming increasingly visual and graphics can make the difference between success and failure.

Chapter 10, Designing Proposals

Design:

• Importance


• gestalt theory


• four principles for crafting effective page layouts


• five-step process for inventing, revising and editing pages

Good design gives easy access points where you an enter the text from a variety of place for a variety of reasons. Scan executive summary, read the introduction, scan each major section

Four principles of Design - Gestalt theory, humans instinctively look for relationship among objects, visualize larger relationships

Balance - weight on a page

heavier

• on right than left
• top than bottom
• big weigh more than small
• pictures than text
• graphics than text
• color than b&w
• with borders
• irregular shapes

Use grips to balance a page layout

Use pullouts, margin comments, sidebars to enhance body of text with supplemental information

Alignment

Use of vertical white space to identify various levels of information

Grouping

Break down the text into smaller parts more comprehendible for scanning

Use headings, font size, horizontal/vertical, borders

Consistency

4 techniques

• headers and footers
• typefaces - conservative versus modern
• labeling - tables, charts, pictures, graphs
• lists - sequential and nonsequential lists (use different styles for each)

Creating effective layouts -

• Consider the rhetorical situation - characteristics of readers, traditional or progressive
• Thumbnail a few example pages - possible designs
• Create a design style sheet - line, paragraph, page, graphics, document levels
• Develop a few generic pages - create a template as a basic pattern
• Edit the design - revise and edit

Chapter 9, Writing with Style

• Importance of Style


• Role of Style


• Plain Style


• Persuasive Style

Style reflects character by signifying the relationship you build with your readers.



It means choosing the right words and forming sentences that are easy to read, weaving your work together.



It illustrates your clear-headedness, your emphasis on quality, and your willingness to communicate and work with the readers.



Plain sentences -

1. subject is what the sentence is about


2. make the "doer" the subject


3. state the action in the verb


4. subject early in the sentence - anchors sentence


5. eliminate nominalizations - turn 1st draft nominalizations into action words


6. avoid excessive prepositional phrases - usually chained together in long sentences


7. eliminate redundancy


8. sentences "breathing length" - spoken in one breath

6 steps to plainer writing

1. identify who or what the sentence is about


2. turn that who/what into the subject and put it early in the sentence


3. identify what the subject is doing and move action to very


4. eliminate prepositional phrases - turn to adjectives


5. eliminate nominalizations and redundancies


6. shorten, lengthen, combine, or divide sentences to make the breathing length

Plain paragraphs -

• Transition Sentence - smooth bridge from one paragraph to another, "With these facts in mind let us consider..."
• Topic Sentence - 1st or 2nd sentence, sets a goal for the paragraph to reach
• Support Sentences - intended to help prove the claim made in the topic sentence
• Point Sentences - restate the topic sentence at the end of the paragraph

Aligning sentence subjects in a paragraph - related subjects

The given/new method to weave sentences together, begin with info the reader already knows and end with something new.

Passive voice - use when

• the reader doesn't need to know who or what is doing something
• subject of the sentence is what the sentence is about

Persuasive style -

• elevating the tone map out feelings associated with emotion and weave these words into the text at strategic moments, excitement (inspiring, motivating)(revolutionary, energy)
• Using similes "is like" and analogies "A is to B as X is to Y"
• Using Metaphors, familiar & new
• Changing the pace, longer sentences slow the pace, short speeds it up

Challenge is to match your proposal's style to the reader's needs and style

Chapter 8, Developing Budgets

• Important
• Vocabulary
• Different Elements
• Rationale
• Additional strategies

Grants are really about money, as soon as you have written rough draft, start identifying costs.

Basics -
Itemized, down to smallest elements - helps control costs and describe how you got your figures
Non-itemized, rough breakdown (research, modular budgets, increments of $25,000)

Fixed - total price will not change
Flexible - rewrittten periodically to suit changes in costs

Fixed cost - remain constant over time
Variable Costs - expenses that change proportionally with production
Semivariable Costs - expenses that change but not proportionally with production

Developing a budget -
Federal - follow their exact instructions
Other - Management, principal investigators, and salaried labor (% of time + fringe)
Direct labor or staff (hourly basis + fringe)
Indirect labor (support direct labor, hourly basis + fringe)
Facilities & Equipment (fixed and semivariable costs of buildings, equipment & machinery + insurance and maintenance supplies)
Direct Materials (products and services)
Indirect Materials (supplies, lubricants for machinery, etc.)
Travel (local, conferences)
Communication (phone, fax, letter, Internet)
Profit (above costs)
Facilities and Administrative (overhead)
Cost Sharing (matching(cash) & in-kind (non-cash))

Written as a stand-alone section (pros & cons - audience)
Opening - identifies the subject (budget), purpose (present and discuss the costs of project)
Body - explanation, highlights important parts
Closing - restate main point

More info about how the budget was developed, more likely they are to make a firm decision about whether proposed plan suits their needs.

Progress Report 6-5-2008

Date: June 5, 2008

To: Professor Holmevik

From: Virginia D. Baird

Introduction

This proposal will develop a course to teach technical and rhetorical skills needed to write research proposals to graduate Ph.D. students and faculty in the field of Landscape Architecture in the focus area of health and design.

Work Completed

Based on the Next Steps section of my May 29th progress report I've had some discussion with Landscape Architecture on the form my project should take. I have determined that projects for the MLA do not yet have a determined format. I will use the MAPC format for my proposal and then work with the Chair of my committee to make adjustments before I present it to my committee.

This week I learned to use Mindmap and how to convert it to an outline, a somewhat time consuming learning curve. But I feel in the future I will find many uses for this new found program. I first used the Mindmap to look at where I want to go with this project and why. Then I pulled out a section to set up my current situation.

I flushed out the current situation and after class discussion found a number of places where I have "not" need to know information. As I prepare my first full draft for next Monday, I'll re-write the current situation using feed back from my classmates. I will also go back to the chapter 4, Describing the Current Situation, and tighten up this section to be certain I lead into it and the conclusion leads out of it well. These are pieces I didn't dwell on for the first draft.

I looked in the Cooper Library for articles in my area, defining it as skills for writing and submitting research grant proposals. I found limited material and spoke with a reference librarian who suggested I use my professional association's material to find articles in this area and then use the references cited there to connect to others. I looked in the Architecture library for information on research in the area of the built environment and design but found primarily only information on projects with City and County governments and contract proposals rather than research proposals. The lack of research articles substantiates my point that there has been little research done on how we change the built environment affects health. I will need to continue the search for articles in the area of built environment and design.

Next, I developed the project plan again using mindmap. Following the Chapter 5, Developing a Project Plan, I mapped out a solution limiting my steps to 5 major areas and then adding a couple of minor ones to each major. I continued to flush this out and again have feedback from my classmates and will continue to develop this area.

I also developed a timeline for completing my thesis project over the next two years. As a full-time employee of Clemson and a part-time student and with 93 hours of classwork required for a MLA, I have 30 hours remaining. It will take me two more years to complete the classwork. I plan to have my committee set up shortly and hope to have them accept my project proposal during Fall of 2008.

We discussed qualifications today in class and determined that "what makes you different, makes you interesting". Normal is one thing I have always aspired, not to be, so I feel comfortable with this concept. I have added a profile to my blog but found it difficult to keep it to 250 words. Again, I will ask my classmates to help me view it from the outside and decide what pieces are most important.

Next Steps

I will need to concentrate on my first complete draft of the proposal checking to be certain that it flows well from one section to the next and that I have answered all the how and why questions. Again, I will need my classmates to look at it from an outside viewpoint for feedback.
I will contact my Chair by email. She is traveling but I need to talk about the MAPC requirements for projects and whether this will fit MLA. I also need to narrow down my list of possible committee members, ask those I choose and get started with the process.

Project Plan, 1st draft

Project plan
This is a proposal to develop a class to support faculty & graduate students in research activities thereby advancing Clemson University’s reputation through publishing in peer reviewed journals & obtaining funded research by the College of Arts, Architecture and Humanities, Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture in the area of health and design. Currently most projects in Planning and Landscape Architecture are developed as contracts with City and County governments and private developers to produce a deliverables for their use. Closer examination of this work can lead to developing research to explore how Landscape Architects are affecting human health with their designs. I propose 5 strategies to be used in this class to increase comprehension of the skills needed to produce peer reviewed articles and funded research in the design of healthy communities. Universities have many and varied resources but channeling those into a research class will be challenging. Everyone’s needs must be recognized and met to further the Universities research reputation.

First, in order to apply for research dollars you need to be able to find them. Available funding in health and design can be researched using a number of available search engines. With the advent of computer technology this landscape began changing dramatically in early 2000.

• On the Federal level all government agencies are currently being required to adapt their information to fit into the grants.gov system. As of early 2008 it is possible to look for request for applications, program announcements, broad agency announcements and request for submission using a number of other names. Anytime the federal government forces its agencies to adapt to one main program there is considerable resistance. It will happen but it hasn’t been pretty and isn’t moving quickly.
  


• On the private level a number of search engines have become available commercially. InfoEd is the system that Clemson University purchases for the use of faculty and graduate students to locate funding. It was developed in the late 1990s and was expected to be up and running for comprehensive use by several entities at the University by early 2000. With the dramatic changes made on the federal level massive changes have been made to InfoEd and we are still working on it. The search engine to locate funding works fairly well.
  


• There are a number of federal sites that list currently funded research projects under different programs. This is an area that is often overlooked in literature searches because it is in progress and the articles have not yet been written. But when reviewers read grant proposals they expect the researcher to know what they have already funded. Again all agencies are being slowly forced to fit these into grants.gov. The system is progressing forward but it isn’t ready for easy faculty and student use.
  

Second a grant proposal must persuade the funder that it is a good idea, the participants are capable of doing the work and have the needed resources. This requires a persuasive argument. Most faculty have spend many years focusing on one subject to obtain their Ph.D. As they graduate from research universities new faculty have had some exposure to grant writing. Those who don’t consider themselves research universities provide little or none. Writing skills need to be sharpened.

• Understanding the need for the persuasive argument may in itself be the first step.
  


• Since this class will work at some level for both faculty and students their different perspectives will need to be addressed.
  


• Instruction at the appropriate level should come from those for whom it is a profession. This will mean collaboration with the English department.
  

Third, if you can’t send the grant to the funder, it will never be funded. Technological aspects of grant submission have grown more and more complex. In the past you read the grant instructions, followed them, ran the appropriate number of copies and mailed them.

• Internal process changes with parent


• electronic submission - federal & foundations
  foundations
  

Fourth, research prepared graduate students

• specific class on grants/articles


• methodology


• filter into current classes

Relationship between peer reviewed articles/funded grants

• required for tenure


• required for reputation
  
  Evaluation -

Chapter 7, Introductions, Costs, and Benefits

Introduction - Framing the Body of the Proposal
Effective introduction defines -

• state the subject
• identify the purpose (one sentence)
  
• state main point that will be proven (beginning and end or paragraphs)
  
• stresses the important of subject - why need to take action
  
• background - information already known or not controversial
  
• forecast - identifies larger topics that will be covered
  

Introduction - Lays out the argument in brief for the readers
Body - supports that argument with facts, reasoning, and examples.
Conclusion - restates the argument concisely

Introduction - what the proposal is about
what is being proposed
why it is important

Concise
limited to 1st page of single-spaced proposal
after writing the body - write out the six moves
write the introduction

Timeline

Chapter 6, Describing Qualifications

The purpose of the Qualifications section is to certify to the readers that your team, company, or organization has the personnel, experience, expertise, and facilities to carry out the plan proposed in the Project Plan section. Your qualifications will probably help to build a relationship with your customer or funder.

There are several types of qualification sections but each should include who should do the project, why, and what resources that will bring to the project.
· Business to business, or organization to funding source – introduce yourself and your team and the resources you will bring to the project.
· Team to Management – show management why your team is capable of carrying out the plan.
· Recommendation – recommendations of specific outside contractors, consultants or companies who might carry out your plan.
· No qualifications sections – short proposals may stand alone

Qualifications should include what makes you different – what makes you attractive

Identify main strengths but mention apparent weaknesses and how you will overcome them.

Content of the Qualifications Section should include –
History of success with similar projects, education and training, necessary facilities

Description of personnel, company/organization and experience.
Personnel –

• concise biographies of the management team,
  A description of the labor force, and
  A description of the support staff.
  

Company/Organization – experience and successful past projects
· History
· Mission Statement
· Corporate Philosophy
· Facilities and equipment
· Quality-control measures

Opening – identify the purpose of the section and state a main claim (main strength) about the qualification of your company/organization
Body – needs to back up the main claim you made in the opening
Closing – reinforce or restate the main claim you made in the opening, smaller proposals may not need a closing

Create a main persona – what makes us different/attractive? Develop key words and us them frequently but in moderation. Back up key words with actions that reflect the persona you are creating

Anytime you use boilerplate information be certain to tailor it to your project and customer. Use only that information that is important to this project and your

Current Situation

Opening - Clemson University, a land-grant school, opened its doors as Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina in July 1893 with an enrollment of 446 as an all-male military school. Its purpose was to focus on the art and science of agriculture. In 1955 it made the change to "civilian" status and became co-educational and in 1964 gained the designation Clemson University. Clemson's vision today is to become, "one of the nation's top-20 public universities." To reach this vision Clemson has set five goals in academic, research and service for the year 2011.
1. Increase research and sponsored programs to exceed $100 million a year in research support. 2. Foster Clemson's academic reputation through strong academic programs, mission-oriented research and academic centers of excellence, relevant public service and highly regarded faculty and staff.
3. Seek and cultivate areas where teaching, research and service overlap. President Barker has pointed out, "Top-tier universities are more successful at generating external funding, are more likely to generate spin-off companies, and attract more high-technology industries."

To reach these goals, President Barker has challenged each College to show where it falls in the University’s eight designated research emphasis areas and given them a goal to help Clemson reach top-20 status by the year 2011.

Body – To become a top 20 public university Clemson’s President, Jim Barker, and the Clemson University Board of Trustees has called on its five Colleges to help it increase Clemson’s research status. To do this it has given each College research goals. The College of Art, Architecture, and Humanities (AAH) is making great strides in the areas of publications and external funding but the need to increase continues. “External funding is a means to the end of published, peer-reviewed work. Our college has a significant record of publication which continues to grow. Parallel to this increase is a significant expansion in the level of externally funded research. In fiscal year 2007, AAH had over one million dollars in external funding, compared to $800,000 in FY 2006.”

Planning and Landscape Architecture is one of the ten departments that make up the College of Arts, Architecture, and Humanities. This department, like its College and the University, sees its future in increasing funded research and peer reviewed journal articles as well as graduating research prepared graduate students. This change for Clemson University to become a Top-20 comes at a time when obtaining external research funds are particularly difficult. 9/11 made many changes in American life; in the research world it dramatically reduced the available research dollars. After September 2001 federal monies are shifted to the war against terror. As the price of oil rises, the dollar drops, and the stock market plunges grant dollars disappear. As these dollars disappear it follows that competition soars. At the same time, on-line submissions of grant proposals create another layer of complexity. Skills required for securing research dollars and therefore data to publish change and become more complex. This complexity changes the skills required to secure research dollars. Now the researcher must communicate well his “good idea” while following complicated grant preparation instructions. He must understand the differences between research grants, intervention grants, clinical trials, federal grants, foundation grants and how to apply and where to find them.

Closing - The Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture sees the need to continue forward on this front by developing a research skills class specific to its discipline for both its faculty and graduate students.

Mindmap