20150629 Edanz Waseda

Trevor Lane, PhD Andrew Jackson, PhD

Waseda University

29 June 2015

Session 2 – Writing Effective Grants

Seminar series

May 30 Ethics

June 29 Writing effective grants

September Increasing your publication success

October Increasing your publication success

November Guidance for early career researchers

December Presenting social science research

January Presenting science/technology research

Be an effective communicator

You need convince the funder that your study deserves to be funded

Consider a relevant problem

Logically organize your research plan

Effectively communicate

your ideas

Before you begin

Section 1

Customer Service Before you begin Who is evaluating your grant?

Multidisciplinary

International

Different ages

Needs to be clear to those outside immediate field

Cultural considerations

Older: more conservative Younger: more flexible/liberal

Customer Service Before you begin What are they evaluating?

Three important aspects that will be evaluated:

1. Does this study need to be done?

2. Will the study be conducted well?

3. How will this study be useful?

Customer Service Before you begin Identify a problem

Thoroughly evaluate the literature • Primary and secondary

Identify knowledge gaps • Should be focused (one-sentence rule) • Not yet addressed • Already addressed, but not successfully

Customer Service Before you begin Avoid research waste

Lancet 2009; 374: 86–89

~85% of biomedical research is waste

• Not addressing relevant questions • Incomplete review of the literature • Inappropriate methodology • Incomplete reporting • Unpublished

Customer Service Before you begin

Lancet 2009; 374: 86–89

~85% of biomedical research is waste

• Not addressing relevant questions • Incomplete review of the literature • Inappropriate methodology • Incomplete reporting • Unpublished

Avoid research waste


Horn & Limburg. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000; 1: CD001928.

Systematic review of 28 clinical trials (7521 patients): are calcium antagonists

effective for acute ischemic stroke?

“no difference between people given calcium antagonists and those who were not, in terms

of death or disability”



Horn et al. Stroke. 2001; 32: 2433–2438.

Did animal studies show calcium antagonists were effective in treating acute ischemic stroke?

(20 studies)

“We conclude that the results of the animal experiments reviewed in the present investigation

did not show convincing empirical evidence to substantiate the decision for trials with

nimodipine in stroke patients.”



What other similar grants have been funded?

https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/en/


What other similar grants have been funded?

Customer Service Before you begin Specify objectives for grants

1. Realistic solution to the problem

2. Cost effective

3. Competence: you have ability to complete project

Three key points for the funding agency:

Customer Service Before you begin Finding grants

Public Government agencies

Private Foundations, charities

Mitsubishi Foundation1

Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation2

Search online and/or discuss with colleagues

Important! a

Find grants whose aims are similar in scope as your project

1. http://www.mitsubishi-zaidan.jp/en/ 2. http://matsushita-konosuke-zaidan.or.jp/en/works/research/promotion_research_01.html


https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/grants05_2014.html

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

FY2014

Customer Service Before you begin Competition is increasing

https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/data/kakenhi_pamph_e.pdf


Customer Service Before you begin Funding is not increasing

https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/data/kakenhi_pamph_e.pdf



https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-kadai/index.html 1. http://www.mext.go.jp/component/b_menu/shingi/toushin/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2012/12/13/1325360_2_1.pdf


Topic-Setting Program to Advance Cutting-Edge Humanities and Social Sciences Research

• Based on 2012 report to advance social sciences1

• Encourage collaborative research in three areas: 1. Interdisciplinary research with other sciences 2. Collaborations making societal contributions 3. International collaborations to advance social sciences

Customer Service Before you begin Evaluate your resources

Table Organize your methodology

What will you need to do to reach your objectives?

Step What you need to do

Method used Time required

Who will do it

Required materials

1 Make questionnaire

Access archives 4 weeks Person X/Y Travel costs

2 Validate questionnaire

Test in sample population

8 weeks Person Y/Z Compensation

3 Enroll participants, demographics

Contact online, meet in person

4 weeks Person X/Z Travel costs

4 Data analysis Quantification and statistical analysis

6 weeks ? ?

Establish collaboration!

Customer Service Before you begin Statistical considerations

Participants Power calculation

for sample size

Data analysis Sample distribution,

endpoints, group number

Consult with a statistician!

Shows you have thoroughly thought about the results you will receive and how to analyze them

Customer Service Before you begin Feedback

Get feedback from colleagues before submitting your proposal

Find 2–3 non-competitive colleagues in your field

Introduce the topic and objectives of your proposal

Set a date at which you will send it to them • >3 months before the submission deadline

Revise your proposal based on their feedback

Effective writing

Section 2

Effective writing Improving readability

Use short sentences Limit your sentences to 15–20 words

One idea per sentence

Use active voice Simpler, more direct, and easier to read

APA Style: “Use the active voice rather than the passive voice” (www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/effective-verb-use.aspx)

Effective writing

In fact, the shortage of clean and fresh water is one of most pervasive problems afflicting human society. The situation deteriorates with increasing population and industrialization. Desalination is one viable solution to produce fresh water from salty water. Conventional desalination methods, including reverse osmosis and thermal desalination, encounter two major obstacles—high energy consumption and expensive infrastructure.

Paragraph structure

Topic sentence Introduce topic of paragraph

Supporting sentences Develop topic

Although water is abundant on earth, 98% of the available water resource is in the form of salty water.

Concluding sentence Why topic is important

Therefore, identification of more efficient and cost-effective desalination methods are necessary.

Modified from: Zhu et al. Sci Rep. 2013; 3: 3163.

Effective writing Additional tips to improve readability

Repetition • Identify key phrases in grant aims • Repeat throughout your grant proposal

Parallel structure

• Research problem and objectives • Within your paragraphs (assert and justify) • Summary and main text

Consistency • Use the same terminology throughout • Especially with multiple authors

Effective writing Additional tips to make an impact

Start your grant proposal with a thought-provoking statement

Questions “Are local government officials affecting

the birth rates in rural Japan?”

Conflicts “New local Japanese government policies were expected to increase birth rates in rural communities—yet these rates continue to fall.”

Effective writing Additional tips to make an impact

Start your grant proposal with a thought-provoking statement

“Does culture, defined as the shared knowledge guiding social interaction and other behaviors within a social group, influence individual psychobiological adaptation? Can the links between culture, individual behavior, and individual psychobiological adaptation be traced? This continues to be a fundamental question facing anthropology.”

Good example

http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/Faculty/dressler/Dressler%20Brazil%20NSF.pdf

Activity 1: Logical organization

Organize these 5 sentences into a logical first paragraph of a grant proposal

A. Therefore, cellulose nanopaper is one of the best candidates for the future of electronic components.

B. Paper electronics can be manufactured on foldable nanopaper using high-volume and high-speed printing technology.

C. Although there is much concern regarding a sustainable and clean society—current manufacturing technologies for electronic devices have yet to meet these goals.

D. Moreover, these paper devices are lightweight and flexible enough to carry in personal bags.

E. To address this important issue, we previously developed cellulose nanopaper using only cellulose nanofibers that can be used for ‘paper electronics’.

Activity 1

Organize these 5 sentences into a logical first paragraph of a grant proposal

Although there is much concern regarding a sustainable and clean society—current manufacturing technologies for electronic devices have yet to meet these goals.

C

To address this important issue, we previously developed cellulose nanopaper using only cellulose nanofibers that can be used for ‘paper electronics’. E

Paper electronics can be manufactured on foldable nanopaper using high-volume and high-speed printing technology.

B

Moreover, these paper devices are lightweight and flexible enough to carry in personal bags. D

Therefore, cellulose nanopaper is one of the best candidates for the future of electronic components. A

Conflict statement

Logical development of ideas

Strong concluding statement

Break

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Logically organizing your research plan

Section 3

Research plan Essential information

Proposal summary

Background

Purpose

Plan

Results/implications

Budget/timeline

Dissemination

Credentials

Reference letters

Research plan Additional info

Research plan Well-defined research question

Break general question into 3–4 more concise questions

1. How are local government policies developed? 2. How are local government policies implemented? 3. How is efficacy of these policies monitored? 4. How are these policies updated?

“How do local government policies affect birth rates in rural Japan?”

Establishes focus

Research plan

• Review background

• State problem and objectives

• Describe methodology

• Expected results

• Significance and implications

1-page summary Usually 2–4 paragraphs

Proposal summary

Research plan Proposal summary

JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research Summary

Purpose and Background

Why this study needs to be done

Research methods

How you will perform the study

Expected results and significance

Key outcomes and implications

Additional information: relevant publications, study duration, requested budget, contact information

Research plan

Important to remember!

Often only section read by grant committee before sending for review

Answer three key questions:

1. What will be learned? 2. Why is this worth knowing? 3. How will conclusions be validated?

Proposal summary

Research plan Background

General introduction

Aims

Current state of the field

Problem in the field

Research plan Background – General introduction

Introduce broadly to set context

• Establish interest in the topic

• Why is this topic important/relevant?

• Why is this topic worth funding?

Topic: Why birth rates in rural Japan are declining

Importance: Affects domestic food production

Research plan Background – Current state of the field

Thorough literature review

• What has been done previously?

• What are the current solutions?

• What are the problems/limitations of these solutions?

• What are the active debates?

Tip! Review variety of databases: Scopus, Web of Science,

Periodical Index, Social Science Citation Index, Annual Reviews, Modern Language Association International Index

Research plan Background – Problem in the field

Important, but solvable, problem

Problem should be focused

“Why are birth rates declining in rural areas in Japan?”

Better: “How do local government policies affect the birth rates in rural Japan?”

One-sentence rule: You should be able to describe your research problem in one sentence

Research plan Study purpose

Concrete goals

• Not ‘fishing expedition’ • Goals used to evaluate progress • Not preconceived

Bad examples

• “Determine why birth rates in rural Japan are declining.”

• “We will show that poor implementation of local government policies is responsible for the declining birth rates in rural Japan.”


Discuss the 3–4 broken down questions

“In this study, we have four objectives:

1. Evaluate how local government policies are developed

2. Investigate how local government policies are implemented

3. Determine how the efficacy of these policies is monitored

4. Assess how these policies are updated”

Make it clear how you will solve the problem


Important points to remember

Emphasize who are the beneficiaries, and how will they be affected?

• Beneficiaries are Japanese residents in rural areas.

• Your study may help increase birth rates and revitalize their community/economy.



If novel solution, need to emphasize why this has not been done before:

Turning points or breakthroughs allowing you to now address this problem?

“Recently, government records in many rural areas in Japan have become digitized, allowing for a large-scale comparative analysis.”



How will this study help to advance the field?

• Will it help answer a current debate?

• Will it help establish a new idea or an alternative viewpoint on an existing idea?

“This study will help resolve the current issue of whether government policies are directly influencing birth rates in rural Japanese areas.”

Research plan Proposed plan

Methodology

Before writing this section:

• Make a flowchart to show how study conducted

• Make a table showing who will do what, time allocation, and deliverables

Important points: Sample selection and size

Inclusion and exclusion criteria Statistical tests


Logically describe methodology: Same order as objectives

Who/what used

Be specific: e.g., which towns/records Justification: e.g., publicly available

How it will be done

Describe techniques New techniques: why & validation

Data analysis

Quantification methods Statistical tests: significance and power


Important points!

Innovation May be other similar studies/grants

• How is yours different? • Demonstrate yours is most effective

Competency Demonstrate expertise in proposed

techniques (e.g., previously published)

Appendices Do not put lengthy technical details in

your main text—difficult to read!

Research plan Preliminary results

Pilot studies

• Validates study hypothesis • Shows have available resources • Demonstrates expertise and technical efficacy • Generates interest in the proposed plan

Can also help justify collaborations

Research plan Expected results & significance

Expectation based on logic/previous publication

“Because the inefficient implementation of government policies has been shown to influence literacy rates in rural communities in Spain13, we expect this may also be a factor affecting birth rates in rural Japan.”

Implications and future directions

“The results obtained from this proposed study will help local governments more effectively implement new policies to increase birth rates in rural areas. It will also be interesting to determine if other…”

Research plan Limitations

Limitations in the study design

Limitations in the data analysis

What are you going to do to control for these limitations?

Establish your expertise in the field

Research plan Budget

Salaries Operating costs Travel

Equipment Information systems Consumables

• Review guidelines to determine what is covered • Show costs in a table

Consider all costs associated with this study

Research plan Example budget

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/ grant-proposals-or-give-me-the-money/

Justify all costs

Research plan Dissemination

What are your deliverables? (Optional)

Publication type

Book or journal articles? Target journals

Readership Who is your target audience?

Timeline Will each objective be separate paper?

When and how long to write?

Research plan Credentials

Establish trust and confidence

Updated CV: • Publications • Honors/awards • Previously received grants

(especially if from same funder)

Related previous publications

Technical competency

Applicable collaborations

Research plan Reference letters

Who to ask • Young researchers: former advisors • Advanced researchers: collaborators,

journal editors, society members

When to ask

• Early, before you finish writing • Prepare one-page summary:

Summarize background/problem Present objectives/research plan Describe significance

Discuss • Discuss your research plan • Encourage questions/suggestions

Activity 2

You are now members of a grant review committee and need to determine which

grants will go for external review.

1. Read the two proposals

2. In groups, discuss which one should be sent for review

3. What is wrong with the other?

Activity

Proposal 1

1. Fishing expedition • What is the research problem? • What are the specific aims? • What are the expected outcomes?

2. Unclear methodology • ‘Analyze economically challenged participants’? • ‘Conduct surveys’? • ‘Perform panel surveys’?

Unclear

Activity

Proposal 2

1. Purpose and Background • Clear background, research problem, and aims • Aims at the end more clear?

2. Methodology • Identify which surveys and what is evaluated • Clearly discuss what research teams will evaluate

3. Expected Achievements and Significance • Clear outcomes, strong but not preconceived • Clear significance and worldwide implications

Be an effective communicator

You need to convince the grant agency that your study deserves to be funded

Consider a relevant problem

Logically organize your research plan

Effectively communicate your ideas

Thank you!

Any questions?

Follow us on Twitter

@EdanzEditing

Like us on Facebook

facebook.com/EdanzEditing

Download and further reading edanzediting.co.jp/waseda150629

Trevor Lane: [email protected] Andrew Jackson: [email protected]

Documents

20150629 Edanz Waseda