EAS 299Writing research papers

Professor Jan Van der Spiegel (ESE)Professor Vijay Kumar (MEAM/CIS)

www.seas.upenn.edu/~eas299

Proposal• Title • Project Summary• Introduction • Scientific Background• Prior Work by Investigator• Proposed Work• Research Plan• Budget• Impact of the Proposed Work• References

Executive Summary• Title • Project Summary• Introduction • Scientific Background• Prior Work by Investigator• Proposed Work• Research Plan• Budget• Impact of the Proposed Work• References

Introduction• Title • Project Summary• Introduction • Scientific Background• Prior Work by Investigator• Proposed Work• Research Plan• Budget• Impact of the Proposed Work• References

– Why the subject area is important– Problem definition– Prior work, overview of the proposed

work– Why the specific problem is important

State-of-the-art• Title • Project Summary• Introduction • Scientific Background• Prior Work by Investigator• Proposed Work• Research Plan• Budget• Impact of the Proposed Work• References

– Details of relevant papers– Critical review of literature– Identify missing gap

– Your own previous work (papers)– Establish credibility

Potentially onesection

The Meat: Main Body• Title • Project Summary• Introduction • Scientific Background• Prior Work by Investigator• Proposed Work• Research Plan• Budget• Impact of the Proposed Work• References

What, how– Technical approach

What, when– Schedule– Milestones– Deliverables*

*Grants versus contracts

Cost– Salary– Equipment/Supplies– Travel to conferences– Overhead

National Science Foundation

NSF• Graduate Student Fellowships

http://www.nsfgrfp.org/Applicants must follow the instructions in the user guide and applicant module for completing each section of the application. The essays must be written using standard 8.5" x 11" page size, 12-point, Times New Roman font, 1" margins, and must be single spaced or greater. The Personal Statement, Previous Research Experience, and Proposed Graduate Study essays each have a maximum length of two pages, including all references, citations, charts, figures, and images. The Optional Program Eligibility essay is limited to one page.

• Regular grants– http://www.nsf.gov/funding/preparing/

NSFProject Summary

The proposal must contain a summary of the proposed activity suitable for publication, not more than one page in length. It should not be an abstract of the proposal, but rather a self-contained description of the activity that would result if the proposal were funded. The summary should be written in the third person and include a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It must clearly address in separate statements (within the one-page summary):• the intellectual merit of the proposed activity; and• the broader impacts resulting from the proposed activity.It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and, insofar as possible, understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader.

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?• How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and

understanding within its own field or across different fields? • How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the

project?• To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative,

original, or potentially transformative concepts? • How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? • Is there sufficient access to resources?What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?• How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while

promoting teaching, training, and learning? • How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of

underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)?

• To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?

• Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding?

• What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

Review Criteria

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency