Tips for an Excellent SARC Proposal

The following tips are not mandatory - and we welcome creative submissions that address each area - but applicants should consider the following characteristics of an outstanding narrative proposal for a SARC award.

The full application should be written by the student (or teams of students as appropriate). This should be from your perspective and using "I" statements is appropriate.

The Narrative is your Explanation of Work and should be 750-1000 words (more is not better when filling out applications with specific directions).

The narrative should address the following items, in order:

Explanation of the work 

• The narrative includes detailed background and explains the applicant's motivation.
• The narrative is properly cited with appropriate bibliography.
• The narrative includes a detailed explanation of the applicant's methods or how the work will be carried out.
• The narrative includes an itemized budget with justification for each expense or a detailed explanation.

Student contribution to project design and execution

• The narrative explains which contributions were made and will be made by you (the student), and which were or will be made by others. This needs to be in your words and your understanding of your contribution to the project.
• The narrative explains where the idea for the proposal originated and what the student has contributed to its design/execution.
• If the project is replicable of previous studies or works, the narrative should indicate the applicant's changes, such as the selection of different variables, genres, media, etc.

Broader impact of the work 

• The narrative explains how the results of the work will impact the field and beyond.

Expected benefits to student

• The narrative explains what benefits to you (the student) will come from the work.
• The narrative includes plans to disseminate the work with relevant details such as conference dates and location.

Quality of narrative for a broad audience

• The narrative is understandable by someone with no background knowledge.

Budget and Explanation

• Your budget should show specific items and estimated prices, including expected tax and shipping costs if applicable.
• TRAVEL:
  • Any requested travel needs to be clearly itemized with estimates for air, hotel, etc., and needs to include the conference or travel detail, including dates and location.

Scoring Detail:

Applications will be evaluated using a rubric (PDF) (PDF), and scores will be normalized across individual reviewers. If proposals have comparable scores, attempts will be made to fund across all the colleges and across different research groups.