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Home  /  Undergraduate Research  /  Proposal/Project Plans  /  Project Plans  /  FAQs

FAQs

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How can I do this? I have no experience and no prior knowledge of the subject.
Many first-tier jobs require that you follow step-by-step instructions given to you by your supervisor, day-by-day. Such jobs often do not require that you have a good understanding of where your work is heading, why it is being done, or what to do when something goes wrong. Such work is also often not satisfying or fulfilling because it does not allow or require you to become personally engaged.

Success in research demands that you be deeply involved in what you are doing, understand its purpose, and take personal intellectual responsibility for accomplishing its objectives, as well as (for example) figuring out what to do when you run into obstacles. (What to do may be to seek help from other people!) The sense of personal accomplishment that can come from prevailing against all obstacles and reaching your goals can be deeply satisfying, even exhilarating.

The best way to prepare for a research project in any field (science, engineering, or technology advancement, for example) is to do the preliminary groundwork that a proposal or research plan requires of you. Asking for such preparation from you is our way of helping you get a running start.

Who will read my project plan?
The people who will read your plan will include your mentor and/or co-mentor, and the program coordinator(s). The primary beneficiary of the plan, however, will be you, in that the work that you have to do to prepare to write it, and the writing itself, will help you clarify your thinking about your project and its purpose.

How long should the plan be, and what should be included?
A research plan of two or three pages, carefully thought out and precisely worded, should be sufficient to make all the important points. Concerning structure and content: start out with the sections indicated below and try to answer the questions provided in each part. When you have this material developed, you may be able to reorganize it so that it flows more logically while covering the same ground.

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