ORGANIZING YOUR PROPOSAL:
A SAMPLE TABLE OF CONTENTS
This is a sample guide. You must not use it as a template which you just fill in. Rather you should use this as the basis for developing your own proposal outline.
INTRODUCTION
- Statement of the issue the project will deal with.
- Significance of the issue (in terms of sustainability) .
- Your vision of what will be changed when you are done, including the product you envision.
- The clients:
- -who will support this project?
- -who will make use of the results (the audience)?
- Purpose of the project.
- Objectives of the project.
From the statement of purpose and objectives the reader must have a good idea of the focus, the scope and the boundaries of the project. A statement of "limitations" may be added to clarify the project boundaries, i.e. what your project will not entail. Your "systems" description may also further define project boundaries. You may revisit your "Purpose and Objectives" later in the proposal.
BACKGROUND/CONTEXT
- What is known about your area of study?
- Historical and Contextual Information
- Actors
- -Interest/Stake
- -Roles/Responsibilities
- -Powers/Purposes
- -Relationships - particularly your relationship to the actors
- Your System
- -Issue of scale and type (what perspective will you use?)
- -Elements
- -Relations
- -Inputs/Transformations, Outputs
- -Boundaries
- -Important Behaviours
- -Environmental Conditions (biophysical, social, economic, ethical,...)
- A narrative of how the situation (system) developed to its current state.
How you organize the information in this section will depend on the project itself, the type of study (e.g. field research versus developing an environmental project) and the particular style of literature review/background information that is suited to your project. In any case, this should clearly communicate the current situation to the reader.
ASSESSMENT OF NEED
Evaluate the current situation. What is it that needs to be changed and why?
- Your vision of sustainability
- Your criteria for what will constitute an improvement in the situation. These criteria should include:
- -biophysical
- -socio-economic
- -political
- -ethical
- -legal
- -others?
- Your assessment of the current situation, based on your criteria
- What needs to be done and why. (You may wish to restate your objectives and goals at this point.)
- What will be different about the situation when you are done.
PROJECT METHODS
Detailed description of the methods used in your project. How are you going to accomplish your goals, make your vision real!
Some possible content:
- Review of literature on methodology
- Design tasks
- Field activities
- Lab procedures
- Writing-rewriting
- Program design and evaluation
- Data collection and analysis
- Analysis and synthesis
In any case, this section must clearly lay out and justify the steps you propose to take and the order in which you intend to accomplish them. A timeline should be included.
PERSONNEL, FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, BUDGET
Make a list of those you need and indicate how you intend to obtain them.
PRODUCT OF PROJECT
A report? A presentation to an organization(s)? A database? An audio-visual production? etc.
SUMMARY
What will be gained by doing this project? (How will the world be more sustainable?)
What will not (limitations)?
Who will be helped.
Back to ERS 390
Last updated: 6 October, 1997 by
jjk