Please provide a topic for your study proposal. Your topic must address a chronic disease risk factor, chronic condition, or chronic disease.
To help you get started, look over the library’s guide for writing a dissertation or thesis proposal: https://guides.library.unt.edu/Dissertation-thesis-proposal/select-topicLinks to an external site.
It is important to look into the current literature to help you select your study proposal topic. A great guide for beginning your literature search can be found here: https://libguides.unthsc.edu/literature-searchingLinks to an external site.
What to Submit:
1) Provide your research topic, at least three references from the primary literature, and why you selected this topic. Submit this information as a simple text entry.
As you consider chronic diseases, there are likely many topics you are interested in. But is it a good topic for a research proposal? To ensure your topic is right for a proposal, you first need to review the primary and secondary research to better understand the current state of knowledge and interventions and gaps in these areas. If there is a gap you are interested in filing AND it can lead to a significant public health impact, then you have chosen an appropriate topic! This literature review will be the basis of your background and significance section. In this section, you will want to introduce your research topic and include:
- Hook Sentence: An introductory sentence that quickly captures your audience’s attention. Your first sentence should clearly explain WHAT your research topic is and WHY it is critical to conduct research.
- Example: The diagnosis of vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia, relies on non-standard clinical and laboratory criteria.
- Current State of Knowledge: state what is currently known in the specific field (3-5 sentences). Provide the
reader with only the necessary details to understand why you are proposing the work. Remember to
be concise and focused on only the key points.- Given the hook statement above, this section should focus on the current methods used to diagnose vascular dementia and the sensitivity & specificity of those methods.
- Gaps in Knowledge: Clearly state the knowledge gap that needs to be addressed. You can emphasize the most important words or phrases in your Specific Aims section by using italics or underlining, but do so moderately. Overuse of italics or underlining can be distracting. (1-2 sentences)
- Example: What remains unknown in diagnosing vascular dementia is the specificity and predictive value of current diagnostic methods.
- The Critical Need: The critical need is the knowledge (hypothesis-driven) that you propose to develop to fill the gap. Emphasize the significance of the problem you are trying to address.
- Example: To maximize the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of vascular dementia, minimum clinical and laboratory criteria and the combination of these criteria that provide an accurate, specific diagnosis are needed.
This section should clarify that your research proposes the next logical step to advance the field. While this section is short, you should have AT LEAST 5 references!
Writing Research Objectives & Aims*
Now that you have communicated that your proposed research is the next logical step to advance the field, now you want to introduce the solutions to fill this gap in knowledge. It is important to keep your wording simple, relevant, and to the point.
For your first paragraph, you will want to address the following:
- Long-Term Goal: This is your overarching research goal. Keep your wording general in this sentence—you are stating your long-term plans.
- Example: To address the gaps in specific and accurate diagnostic methodology for vascular dementia, we will develop a standardized differential diagnostic tool containing laboratory, imaging, interview based criteria.
- Proposal Objectives & hypothesis: State your central hypothesis clearly, specifically, and with simple language. Describe how your proposed research addresses the critical need, and clearly states the solution. It should be clear that your hypothesis is feasible and testable.
- Objectives example: The objectives of this research are to: 1) grade and rank current laboratory and imaging diagnostic elements based on ease of implementation in a clinical setting, accessibility, and current utilization in vascular dementia diagnosis; 2) create a diagnostic tool which combines the highest graded and ranked laboratory and imaging elements from objective 1 with the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPAC) assessment tool; and 3) determine the specificity and predictive value of this tool in a population of non-institutionalized individuals 65-75 years of age.
- Hypothesis example: A vascular dementia diagnostic tool that combines currently utilized, easy to use, accessible laboratory and imaging criteria with a well validated and simple interview-based cognitive assessment tool will result in a highly specific (>98%) and predictive (>95%) diagnostic methodology.
- Rationale: Explain how you arrived at your hypothesis (for example, using past studies and published literature). Briefly state what completion of your proposed research would make possible (e.g., new therapeutics), and tie it to the significance of public health via standards or metrics as discussed in class.
- Example: Previous studies have found that the combination of certain diagnostic criteria are more successful at diagnosing vascular dementia. The proposed research would systematically evaluate these criteria to create a standard diagnostic tool to improve early diagnosis and accessibility. This would help reach the Healthy People 2030 Dementia objective (DIA-01) and target metric (65.1% of older adults with dementia, or their caregivers, who know they have it.
The second paragraph should detail your aims. Aims should begin with a clear aim sentence and provide the experimental strategy AND the expected outcome or impact.
Aims example:
Aim 1: Create a standardized vascular dementia diagnostic tool. A meta-analysis will be conducted to identify, grade, and rank laboratory and imaging diagnostic elements based on ease of implementation in a clinical setting, accessibility, and current utilization in vascular dementia diagnosis. This will result in an evidence-based, standardized tool that can be combined with the GPAC and used in a clinical setting to efficiently and effectively diagnose vascular dementia.
Aim 2: Evaluate the specificity and predictive value of the vascular dementia tool in diagnosing vascular dementia. A consecutively enrolled cohort of patients 65-75 years screening positive for dementia will be enrolled. These patients will be randomly assigned to the current diagnostic methodology (confirmation of vascular dementia by non-standard methodologies) or the developed, standardized diagnostic tool. All participants will be evaluated by three geriatricians to reach a consensus diagnosis of vascular dementia. This randomized, clinical trial will allow for the determination of specificity, predictive value, as well as the magnitude of association between the standardized diagnostic tool in accurately diagnosing vascular dementia.
The last paragraph of this section should create a firm and broad basis to support your proposal. This paragraph should include:
- Innovation: Plainly state what is innovative about your project. What would completion of this proposal bring to the field that is not present currently?
- Impact: State how your proposed research would help those who need it, (i.e. the development of a new treatment, vaccine, disease model or diagnostic tool). Include a broad impact statement about how your proposal will benefit the people and public health.
Last paragraph example: The proposed research will establish a new standardized tool for diagnosing vascular dementia that accounts for accessibility and utility in clinical use. The currently used combination of laboratory, imaging, and physician interview assessment elements have varied, unknown diagnostic specificity and predictive value. The accurate differential diagnosis of dementia type can enhance care quality, enhancing the psychosocial wellbeing of the more than 6 million Americans living with dementia as well as the mental and physical health of caretakers of those with dementia.
Helpful Hints:
- The example I provided for this proposal is just an example. Please be sure you are not just replicating what I have and just making minor changes. I really want you to develop your own aims and objectives and not just derivatives of what I provided on the example
- Innovation- please be sure to come up with a research proposal that will identify a current gap- something that is innovative. For example, do not have proposal to determine the association between exercise and reduction of hypertension. This is well established at this level. If you want to focus on something like this, you need to find a gap- for example, a specific combination of exercises and their association in prevention progression to hypertension and cardiovascular risk as defined in a novel manner in those who are pre-hypertensive. This paper is a great example of what I mean: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7459903/Links to an external site.
- In general, you will want to be more specific in your topic- this goes back to the bullet above. The broader you are in your exposure or outcome, it will be very difficult to measure and carryout your research.
The purpose of the research proposal is for you to think through these types of questions and really develop a solid research question that needs to be investigated with specific methods. Be sure you are conducting a good literature review to help you identify good research hypotheses, objectives, and aims.
Writing Your Research Strategy*
Your Research Strategy is the nuts and bolts of your application, where you describe your research rationale and what you will conduct to accomplish each aim. The research strategy should include the following sections:
- Significance– this section answers, “Can your research move your field forward?” This is an opportunity to clearly state the significance of the proposed research using the current literature as support. You will begin with a very brief summary of how your field has approached the issue or topic and will end with a clear statement of the significance of your research and approach that adds to the field (this will be bolded text). This section should be ~1 paragraph in length.
- Example: Three sets of vascular dementia diagnostic guidelines are currently used in clinical practice: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM IV),2Links to an external site. Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (ADDTC),3Links to an external site. International Statistical Classification of Diseases, and 10th revision (ICD 10). These guidelines focus on differential diagnostic methods for vascular dementia based on clinical criteria and determination of the vascular origin. A summative evaluation of the specificity and predictive value of the diagnostic elements in these guidelines has not been conducted. The proposed research is significant as it will not only assess the utility of current vascular dementia diagnostic elements but will create a standardized tool that will help accurately diagnose vascular dementia.
- Innovation– This section answers, “Is the field important—will progress make a difference to public health?” This section allows you to expand upon the innovation and impact statements you made in the last paragraph of your Objectives & Aims section. Here you want to also include briefly how and why the proposed research approach is innovative in terms of your proposed methods. This helps lead into the next section, Approach. This section should be ~2 paragraphs.
- NOTE: Innovation here means making a difference in public health. You do not have to propose a new methodology. You do want to make clear that the methodology is well-established and utilized.
- Approach– This is the major content of this section. Here, you want to restate your aims and expand upon the methods you will use to investigate them. For this proposal, you only need to expand upon one aim: the epidemiological study. So, for example, in the vascular dementia example used, only Aim 2 would included in this section. The following sections should be ~3 pages in length. Under the Aim include the following sections:
- Study Design– State the study design (for example a randomized experimental study). State why this design is being used and support use of this study design by highlighting the use of this design in the primary or secondary literature.
- Study Population– State the study population to be used as well as the population the study is targeting (will be generalized to). Include inclusion and exclusion criteria that you are proposing for this study.
- Data Collection Plan– State how the data will be collected (survey, focus groups, clinical readings, etc.) or if specific data sets will be used (example- BRFSS 2020). State variables of interest (outcome and and how they will be measured and support this choice with specific standards or metrics. For example, in the vascular dementia proposal, vascular dementia, the outcome, will be assessed by three, independent geriatricians and will include cognitive assessment and MRI results. Cognitive impairment will be assessed using the Big Five Aspect Scale (BFAS). The impairment will be classified as mild at BFAS scores ≤15, moderate at BFAS scores ≤10, and severe at BFAS scores ≤5.
- Analysis Plan– State how the data will be analyzed (for example logistic regression, proportional hazards regression, etc.), how results will be interpreted, and what conclusions are expected to be made. State why this analysis is being used and support use of this analysis, interpretation, and conclusion by highlighting the use of this analysis, interpretation, and conclusion in the primary or secondary literature.
*Adapted from: NIH, Apply for a Grant: Writing Your Research PlanLinks to an external site.
Helpful Hints:
- Keep things simple- be sure to stick to one basic study. You do not need to propose a case-control, surveillance system, cohort study, AND a randomized clinical trial. That is really going to complicate your proposal unnecessarily.
- Many times, students struggle to clearly identify dependent variables, independent variables, and possible confounders. You need to go back and simplify your research question. I recommend you use a simple structure like PICO to structure this: https://guides.library.queensu.ca/public-health/research-questionsLinks to an external site.
- With your analysis plan, be specific regarding your variables- do not simply state demographic or socioeconomic variables. What are these, and how will you collect the data?
- Lastly, remember that you only have to complete the research strategy for one aim- again, do not make this more complicated than necessary.
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Writing Your Research Proposal Strengths & Limitations
In this final section of your research proposal, you will want to reflect upon what your proposed research can contribute and what may limit its ability to contribute to the field and public health. You will want to answer the following questions:
- What are the proposed research strategy’s strengths and limitations? Highlight at least two strengths and two limitations. Use at least two cited examples to highlight the strengths and limitations.
- What are the strengths and limitations in terms of innovation & impact? Highlight at least two strengths and two limitations. Use at least two cited examples to highlight the strengths & limitations.
- Recall that innovation and impact include the following:
- Innovation: Plainly state what is innovative about your project. What would completion of this proposal bring to the field that is not present currently?
- Impact: State how your proposed research would help those who need it, (i.e. the development of a new treatment, vaccine, disease model or diagnostic tool). Include a broad impact statement about how your proposal will benefit the people and public health.
- Recall that innovation and impact include the following:
This section should be ~ 2 pages in length.
Helpful Hints:
- Research strategies strengths and limitations- be sure to provide strengths and limitations specific to your research proposal. For example, do not state generalizability, bias, or confounding issues without SPECIFICALLY stating how this relates to your proposal. Also, highlight these strengths and limitations with examples from two cited sources. So do not just provide citations; specifically, highlight how this was a strength and limitation in the cited study and how it relates to your specific proposal.
- Public health innovation and impact- As with the above, be sure you are being specific to your proposed research and highlight strengths and limitations with examples from two cited sources. I have added information on what public health innovation and impact means in this section (as in previous sections). You should be able to discuss items related to public health promotion and/or prevention efforts.
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Writing Your Community Communication Plan*
So far, Your research proposal includes elements typically found in an NIH research proposal. In this section, you will deviate from the typical proposal and consider how you will bring the community into your proposed research. The goal of the Community Communication plan is to clearly communicate how you will engage community members, including those at high risk and advocacy groups. Your Communication plan should be brief and can be presented in outline form. The communication plan should be no more than one page and will include the following items:
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Outreach and Education: Who is the population of interest (target population) for the proposed research and their advocates, and what strategies can you develop and implement to reach the population of interest? Consider possibly having organizational partners who can be engaged as advisors and make key connections. Or how researchers can try to educate community residents and/or patients about a particular topic. In these cases, outreach efforts are used to gain audiences for education sessions and/or materials.
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Engagement: What level of engagement are you proposing and why?
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Consultation—Researchers ask the community of interest and their advocates for advice on important elements of the proposed research. The feedback provided informs the research, but the researchers are responsible for designing and implementing projects, and they do not expect help from the people who were consulted.
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Cooperation—Researchers ask community residents, patients, and advocates for advice and help with a project. Such help may include activities related to defined aspects of the project, including recruitment, activities related to the intervention, the creation of study questions and measures, and the interpretation of outcomes. Researchers collaborate with community residents, patients, and advocates to make decisions throughout the project.
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Collaboration—Patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, community members, and advocacy groups partner in every aspect of the research, including setting priorities, study design, implementation, analysis/interpretation, and dissemination. Collaborations are built on mutual respect and trust. All partners are valued, benefit from the research, and share decision-making, power, and resources.
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Partnership– A strong, bidirectional relationship exists among patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, and/or community members, and advocacy groups(or a combination of these categories) regarding every aspect of the research, including setting priorities, study design, implementation, analysis/interpretation, and dissemination. The relationship is built on trust and mutual respect. All partners are valued, benefit from the research, and share decision-making, power, and resources. Strong partnership processes exist for how resources are shared, decisions are made, and ownership of the work is determined and maintained. Partnerships result from long-term relationships and have moved beyond working on a single project. Partners have a history of collaboration, having worked together previously.
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- Mutual Benefit & Capacity Building:
- Mutual Benefit– How is the proposed study designed to create positive social change for the community? Benefits of the research should include improved health status or services for the community within a specified time period through interventions developed and agreed on by the researchers and community.
- Capacity Building– How will investigators and the community partner learn from each other and share expertise and knowledge? How will the proposed research begin with and build on community assets and strengths?
. * Adapted from Ahmed, SA and Palermo AS. Community Engagement in Research: Frameworks for Education and Peer Review. (2010).Links to an external site. and Thompson et al (2021). Strategies of community engagement in research: definitions and classificationsLinks to an external site.
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