Contributed by B. Zakarin, Office of Fellowships, b-zakarin@northwestern.edu
Published: 2010
Initially written for History students writing proposals for any senior honors thesis, but relevant to any or all proposal writing                  
Personal pronouns
Authors use first person (“I,” “my”) when discussing their very own interests and plans.  This really is appropriate inside a research proposal because you  will be accepted towards the Senior Thesis Program and/or awarded a summer time grant.
Well-organized sentences and headings
Typically, authors use subject sentences to signal a paragraph’s a key point.  That time frequently matches a needed element, for example “what I wish to learn,” “what scholars have formerly studied,” or “where I intend to find sources.”  Authors adding details that specify the subject sentence or argue the purpose it can make.  Also, sentences shouldn’t be excessively lengthy.
Additionally to well-organized sentences, authors sometimes use headings to recognize key sections.  Such organization is useful because readers frequently skim the beginnings of sections and sentences to locate a proposal’s primary argument before they’re going back for details.  Headings and subject sentences highlight an offer’s structure.
Action-Oriented sentences
A preponderance of sentences should use active voice.   Quite simply, sentences highlight who (or what) performs the experience:
- My project uses…
- The present literature doesn’t show…
- I contend…
- I’ve ready for the work by…
- To reply to these questions, I’ll evaluate…
- This project will let me…
- This research concentrates on…
- Bibliographies mention…
- I have to visit…
Active voice makes sentences shorter and clearer and makes authors seem confident.  Use passive voice if you have the best reason behind doing this, for example once the actor matters not or when passive voice promotes coherence.  Think about these examples in the model proposals:
- Actor matters not
- “Several Connecticut newspapers circulated in Windham were recognized for their extreme zealotry.”  There is no need for Alex Jarrell  to state the public understood these newspapers for his or her zealotry.
- “In the 18 th  century, prostitutes were more and more regarded as outdoors the sphere of womanhood. Within the late 1760s, 2069 women were arrested.”  Who “considered” or “arrested” the ladies is apparent and trivial for Arianne Urus’s  purposes.
- Promote coherence
- “Elisabeth Julie Lacroix, for instance, would be a 49-year-old lady arrested in 1778, who was simply abandoned by her husband, unemployed four or five days, and without food for just one day. Her story is replicated numerous occasions…”  Arianne’s  use from the passive voice enables her to help keep the main focus on Elisabeth’s story.
Passive or active voice is just a problem with action (transitive) verbs, that have objects.  Some sentences simply employ condition-of-being (intransitive) verbs, for example “is”  or “was”:
- “The New London Gazette  can be obtained in the Northwestern Library on microfilm.” (Alex )
- “Martin Luther King’s status locally was under fire.” (Casey Kuklick )
These intransitive verbs are frequently necessary, however in a properly-written proposal, active verbs within the active voice will dominate.
Conciseness
Good proposal authors explain their ideas as succinctly as you possibly can.  Most authors begin with an offer that’s a little too lengthy.  They solicit the aid of advisors and peer reviewers to trim body fat.  Together with unnecessary history, you ought to be vigilant about clunky phrases and excessive qualifying words.  The next techniques for revision can help.
- Change passive to active voice (see above) 
- Eliminate “stretcher” sentence openings
- Wordy: “It is these 3 details that decision Johnson’s theory into question.”
Concise: “These three details call Johnson’s theory into question.” - Wordy: “There were numerous laws and regulations within the 1890s that brought towards the arrests.”
Concise: “Numerous laws and regulations within the 1890s brought towards the arrests.” - Wordy: “It is my contention within this proposal that…”
Concise: “In this proposal, I contend that…” - Wordy: “It may be the belief on most scholars that…”
Concise: “Most scholars think that…”
- Wordy: “It is these 3 details that decision Johnson’s theory into question.”
- Avoid nominalizations (i.e. nouns made up of “hidden” verbs)
- Wordy: “This project concentrates on case study of…”
Concise: “This project will evaluate…” - Wordy: “Identification and look at the very first problem are essential for resolution from the second.”
Concise: “We must identify and assess the first problem before we are able to resolve the 2nd.” - Wordy: “Most critics have been in agreement with this particular assessment.”
Concise: “Most critics accept this assessment.”
- Wordy: “This project concentrates on case study of…”
- Eliminate wordy phrases that represent personal writing ticks
- Wordy: “at this era”
Concise: “now” - Wordy: “due that”
Concise: “because” - Wordy: “at a later time”
Concise: “later” or “next” or “then” - Wordy: “for the objective of” (as with “for the objective of figuring out”)
Concise: “for” or “to” (as with “for figuring out” or “to determine”) - Wordy: “a most of”
Concise: “most”
- Wordy: “at this era”
Effective utilization of transitions
Transitional phrases and words show how sentences and concepts are based on one another.  Used properly, they create it simpler for readers to follow along with your argument.  The next transitions at or close to the beginnings of sentences can make your logic come through clearly and coherently to readers.  
- To exhibit results —“therefore,” “as an effect,” “consequently,” “thus,” “hence.”
- To exhibit addition —“moreover,” “furthermore,” “also,” “too,” “besides,” “in addition.”
- To exhibit similarity —“likewise,” “also,” “similarly.”
- To exhibit contrast —“however,” “but,” “yet,” “still,” “conversely,” “nevertheless,” “on another hands” (for those who have used “on the main one hands” formerly).
- To exhibit examples —“for example,” “for instance,” “specifically,” “as sign.”
- To exhibit sequence or tim e—“first,” “second,” “third” “previously,” “now,” “finally,” “later” “next,” “then.”
- To exhibit spatial relations —“on the east,” “on free airline” “left,” “right” “close up,” “far away.”
Repetition and parallelism
Because the model proposals show, it’s frequently effective to repeat terms and phrases:  “I will pursue research in three areas… I’ll visit X in This summer to be able to… I’ll go to Y so will be able to…“  The repetition during these sentences helps readers concentrate on the student’s suggested actions.
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