Each fall, our office receives multiple requests for review of proposals to the various award programs offered by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Generally speaking, the AAUW seeks to support the educational and professional advancement of women through a wide range of programs, including fellowships for female graduate students. While an applicant’s graduate […]
Advice
Advice
In-Residence Fellowships for Research and Writing
In the dissertation research and writing stages, perhaps among the most under-utilized external funding mechanisms are fellowships that offer support to young scholars spend a semester or academic year in residence at a library, research center, or other university. While the residency requirement attached to this type of award can be challenging due to personal […]
Archival Research Grants and Fellowships
Will your thesis or dissertation research lead you into the pages of historical manuscripts or rare books found only in a few libraries in the world? Will you need to examine collections of photographs, paintings, or fine prints? Will historical or archaeological artifacts held by world museums or research centers be a primary source of […]
Proposal Writing 101
At a basic level, nearly all merit-based graduate student award applications (from early graduate study to completion fellowships) include a set of common elements. If you have never written a proposal before, or are beginning a new draft, the suggestions below will help you get started in crafting these elements. Introduction– The introduction will take […]
Keys to the Castle? Strategic Use of Sample Proposals
On more than one occasion during my time as a GradFund Fellowship Advisor, I have met with students who seem to hold winning sample proposals from previous competitions to an almost mythical regard. By cracking the code, analyzing the formula, figuring out the secret of these documents, these believers expect that they can surely unlock […]
The Art of the Abstract
Applications for competitive fellowships and grants often require a research abstract, but condensing big research ideas into a short blurb can be a challenging task. How does one go about writing an effective abstract? Think of the abstract as a highly compressed version of your research proposal. It should follow a similar structure and formula […]
Gaining a Fresh Perspective on an Old Document
Are you so tired of your proposal that you’d rather do anything than read it again? Here are a few strategies for getting fresh perspective on an old document. Explain the proposal to someone – Ask a friend or colleague if you can talk them through your proposal. Often times saying the ideas out loud […]
Presenting Your Work to Multidisciplinary Audiences
Figuring out how to communicate your research to different audiences can be tough, as anyone who is managing multiple applications can tell you. It can be even tougher, though, to figure out how to do so in the same application. As you research your funder and their mission, it’s important to understand how the review […]
Feedback from Multiple Sources
Revision is the hardest part of the proposal writing process for some people. The prospect of learning how to manage feedback from multiple sources and combine them into a coherent next draft can be daunting. Figuring out how to weigh different types of feedback, and make sure your ego doesn’t get stung during the revision […]
Crafting the Research Question
A well-reviewed research proposal is typically built around one specific research question. Crafting this pivotal detail can be challenging, and we offer a number of suggestions to students at this formative stage in the proposal-writing process. A good question should be built directly upon a foundation of existing scholarship in your discipline, and should advance […]