Research Proposals and Research Progress Reports

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A Research Proposal (i.e., dissertation proposal) must be prepared by the student for the first advisory committee meeting which is to be scheduled before the end of the fall semester of the third year (or first year in the case of a MD/PhD student). When scheduling this first advisory committee meeting, please note that it is expected that the research/dissertation proposal will be approved by the committee before the start of the subsequent spring semester (i.e., committee-required revisions must be made and the Dissertation Approval form signed by start of the spring semester). Thereafter, the student will prepare a Research Progress Report (not to be confused with the general progress report described above) for each advisory committee meeting, to be held at least once every six months (or four months for MD/PhD students). Thus, the goal is to prepare the initial document (i.e. research proposal) for the first advisory committee meeting and then adapt the document towards an outline of the proposed Dissertation with changes and new information for subsequent advisory committee meetings (i.e. progress report). The progress report will therefore develop and grow as the student progresses through the program.

The Research Progress Report provides an update of the research and academic progress of the student and forms a starting point for discussion during the meeting. It typically should cover progress to date on all Aims, although the student may elect to concentrate any meeting discussion on one aspect of their progress. The Report is expected to also help the student focus their thoughts and present the projects clearly and concisely. Progress Reports should be prepared by the student with feedback from the research mentor. The report must be provided to the members of the advisory committee and Program by email at least 5 business days prior to the meeting.

What is included in the Research Proposal and Research Progress Report?

A typical dissertation consists of multiple aims/objectives that are related to a central theme, hypothesis, or overall goal. These aims typically result in multiple dissertation chapters or publications (see dissertation format). Therefore, the aims may either be closely related and test a single hypothesis, or may only be loosely related, but center on an overall theme that can be very broad. Students will therefore include all of their research plans and progress during the PhD years in the research proposal and progress reports. With discussion and acceptance from the mentor, it is acceptable for a student to have “side-projects” in collaboration with other trainees or staff in the mentor’s laboratory, and such projects may lead to co-authorships. Such side-projects are summarized during meetings with the advisory committee. All research progress and plans are included in the progress reports; however, the majority of the student’s time should be spent on the dissertation research. It is critical that the student understand that the mentor will have a better grasp on timing and effort required for ongoing projects making up the student’s major research focus. Thus, it is imperative that open discussion occur when a student wishes to embark on projects related to, but not included in, the formal research proposal.

Format:

The Research Proposal is similar in its content and outline to a F31 proposal. Thus, it will include a brief background, define the aims/objectives and hypotheses, and a brief description of the planned experiments with a summary of the methods (no details are required). This proposal is presented during the first Advisory Committee meeting for approval by the Committee.

The Research Progress Report is similar in its content and outline as the Research Proposal, but with updated results and plans.

There is no restriction to the length of the reports, but they typically consist of 4-6 concisely written pages. Figures are not required, but may be included. If included, figures should be formatted appropriately and be intelligible.

Overview of Student’s Academic Activities:

In addition to the research progress, the student will also inform the advisory committee about academic activities, including courses, conference attendance, publications, and professional development activities. This information will allow the advisory committee members to provide career advice as well as monitor academic progress. An updated Student Progress Form will be used for this; this is the same form used for the twice-annual meetings with the Program Director. The student will clearly highlight the new entries since last advisory committee. Students are encouraged to discuss their IDP with the advisory committee, but this is not required.

Timeline: 

Meeting #1: Research Proposal [approved before the end of the fall semester of third year (PhD) or first year (MD/PhD)]

Background of Project - Provides a description of key findings leading to the creation of the hypothesis to be tested. Includes relevant references if applicable.

Specific Aims/Objectives - Define the objectives to be pursued, the rationale for the objectives selected.

Experimental Design – For each Aim/objective briefly describe the experimental designs and methods that will be employed for each objective.

Dissertation Approval Form: Make sure the Dissertation approval form is signed by all committee members.

Meeting #2: Progress Report (within 4-6 months after Meeting #1)

The student will update the Research Proposal and add Progress for each of the Aims/Objectives, by providing results, and/or status of the analysis (in progress, planned etc.). It is expected that research plans will change over the course of the dissertation research. Therefore, the student will clearly indicate which research plans are new and provide the rationale for these new plans, as well as reasons as to why a plan or objective is jettisoned.

Results - Indicate progress on each of the objectives outlined in the research proposal with a brief description of the results obtained. Figures with figure legends for data generated may be included.

Discussion - State the conclusions that can be made from the work accomplished to date and briefly explain how the results contribute to the overall problem to be studied (‘Big Picture’).

Manuscripts in preparation or submitted and abstracts may be appended as separate documents for consideration by the committee.

All subsequent meetings:

Update the Progress Report and clearly explain all planned experiments. Add the general outline of the chapters to be included in the dissertation, indicating the structure of each of the research chapters.