ARGUS Proposal Guidelines

For a successful application, follow the proposal guidelines that are outlined below.

The application should be word-processed and contain all of the following information:

Cover Sheet

Please put all of the following information, in the order listed, on a single page at the beginning of your proposal:

  1. "ARGUS Proposal" -- a big, bold heading centered at the top of the sheet
  2. The date of your proposal
  3. Project title -- descriptive, but not too long
  4. Your name, campus address, campus phone number, email address
  5. Your faculty sponsor's name, division, phone number, email address
  6. Funding period requested -- block(s), semester(s), year(s)
  7. Names of two AU faculty members, one of whom is your sponsor, from whom you have already requested letters of recommendation for this project (see below)

Project Proposal

  1. Abstract -- one page, comprehensible by a faculty member in any division
  2. Introduction -- background and statement of the problem, a review of existing literature (for justification, rationale, methods, what is currently known), research questions, hypotheses, objectives (specific and detailed)
  3. Methods -- experimental design, special techniques and equipment (with evidence you know or will learn how to use them), descriptions of study sites, plans to analyze and present anticipated results
  4. Schedule -- a time line of what you expect to have accomplished and when; list several milestones that can be evaluated to monitor your progress
  5. Budget -- detailed; list all items (permanent equipment and consumable supplies) that you expect to purchase and realistic cost estimates (catalog prices); also provide for travel, software, and all other aspects of your project related to doing the project itself. You may request partial support for travel to professional meetings to present your project, however, this cannot be the only funds you request from ARGUS. Our mission is to support campus research rather than fund travel. If your primary purpose is to obtain travel funds, there are other funding sources at the University for those purposes.
  6. References -- citations from the literature, with complete and unabbreviated bibliographic information (use a reference form common in your discipline). A thorough but not exhaustive reference section is required to receive funding.
  7. Appendix -- additional items, if any, that support your proposal