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SBS Undergraduate Research Grants Application Autumn Quarter, 2009

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Application Checklist:

- Completed application form, including budget proposal.
- Project proposal.
- Completed project faculty advisor recommendation form.
Where to Submit:

Social and Behavioral Sciences (1010 Derby Hall) or on-line at http://sbs.osu.edu (click on Undergraduate Research at the bottom of site)
Deadline: 5:00 p.m., Monday, November 16, 2009
Eligibility Criteria:
  1. Applicant’s intended major is offered through one of the departments/school of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS).
  2. Applicant is enrolled as a full-time student (at least 12 credit hours) during the quarter(s) in which funding is received.
  3. Applicant’s research project has been validated by an SBS faculty member who has agreed to advise the applicant on this project.
Funding Criteria:
  1. Project merit.
  2. Validity of research expenditures. Award decisions will preference budget items that are necessary for completion of the research project. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: Compensation for research participants; data collection; travel to conferences; conference/workshop fees; purchase of research materials.
  3. Availability of funds.
Amount of Award: Up to $1,000.
Method of Selection:

Applications, proposals, and letters of recommendation will be reviewed by the Assistant Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The number of awards will be determined by the amount of funds available. All applicants will be notified via e-mail message (students’ OSU name.#) of the results of the competition by the middle of December 2009.
Final Report:

One copy of a final report, bearing both the student’s and SBS faculty project advisor’s signatures, must be submitted to the College upon completion of the project (see below). Additionally, a one- to two-page paper describing how the research grant contributed to the project will be expected by the College.

PROJECT PROPOSAL

  • Select a research topic which you and your SBS faculty project advisor believe can be completed within a reasonable time frame, but no longer than one year. Elaborate proposals with questionable time frames will not be competitive. Where relevant, be certain to discuss the ways in which this project will contribute to an honors thesis and/or will permit you to continue an ongoing research project.
  • Prepare a project proposal of not more than three typewritten double-spaced pages. The proposal should include a concise summary statement of the methodology to be used in the research, the results anticipated, and the general significance of the project.
    • Because your proposal may be judged by someone who is not a specialist in your field, you should attempt to state your proposal and its significance in relatively non-technical terms.
    • The proposal also should include a statement concerning any arrangements that have been made to obtain or use special equipment or other resources required for the project.
  • Because the project is to be carried out in close cooperation with your project advisor, the proposal should be written in consultation with the Social and Behavioral Sciences faculty member who will serve as the project advisor and who will complete the Faculty Project Advisor Recommendation that is part of this application package.
  • If your research involves human subjects, be sure to work with your advisor to obtain any necessary approvals from the OSU Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) before you begin data collection.
  • If your research involves animal subjects, be sure to work with your advisor to obtain any necessary approvals from the OSU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ILACUC) before you begin data collection.

FINAL REPORT

The final report to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences will consist of two components, both of which should be signed by the student and the faculty project advisor.

  • Prepare a summary of the research no longer than five typewritten double-spaced pages. Include an ab-stract, a description of the methodology that was used in the research, a discussion of the results, a consid-eration of the significance of the results in terms of your own learning as well as in terms of the contribution to your discipline, and a bibliography.
    • You may submit, instead, a copy of a final project paper if one was required by your faculty project advisor.
  • Prepare a separate paper, no longer than two double-spaced typed pages, which describes the ways in which the research grant contributed to your ability to complete your project.

PROJECT ADVISOR RECOMMENDATION

A Faculty Project Advisor Recommendation form is attached. You should be certain to have your faculty project advisor complete and return it to the Social and Behavioral Sciences office (1010 Derby Hall) by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 16, 2009.

The importance of the faculty recommendation cannot be overemphasized. Evaluation of the proposal will be based largely on the potential value of the project for you. The interest and concern of the faculty member, and his/her assessment of you and the project, may prove decisive in some cases.

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