Writing a Compelling Governance Track Proposal

We recommend that governance track applicants structure their proposal in three parts as follows:

Part 1 should be a section where:

(i) You list your main research question and 2 to 4 underlying research questions (which feed into your main research question) that your project aims to explore.

(ii) You discuss why you concluded that it’s important to study your main research question.

Part 2 should be a section where:

(i) You list the hypothesis of your study (In other words, what you intend to say in response to your main research question).

(ii) You explain how your study will be unique in comparison to other work that exists on the same subject. For example, you could show this by demonstrating that no one has done comprehensive research on your main research question yet; or your methodology is different from those used before; or your hypothesis is original. 

Part 3 should be a section where:

You explain – as specifically as possible – the methodology you intend to use to carry out your study. That is, for each underlying research question, which sources of data will you rely on, and how will you analyze them to extract the information that you need? You should explain this in a detailed manner in your own words (we’re not interested in whether or not you’ve used the most recognized scientific term for a method). 

Please note that proposals are more likely to be successful when the main research question is sufficiently clear and specific to be answered within the duration of the fellowship.