State the major objectives of your research project.
Outline all objectives related to the hypothesis you set out to test, including specific intentions for each.
Provide hypothesis alternatives and explain why each one was selected.
Write a brief background statement that demonstrates how your intended research offers a fresh point of view. Relate your intentions to long-term objectives and to the betterment of your chosen field.
Provide a literature section that substantiates your hypothesis and discusses prior research conducted by other investigators.
Expose any discrepancies in prior research through unpublished work, industry contacts and cited sources.
Provide preliminary data that will be tested during the project. Explain how preliminary findings will be expanded upon in later studies.
Interpret results critically to indicate that you assessed the problem as well as upcoming challenges. Include publications, data and laboratory work.
Indicate the size and type of the sample plus the underlying rationale for the selection. Ask an experienced researcher or statistician to help you project calculations for an appropriate sample size.
Outline procedures and the experimental design process, including why the methodology was selected. Organize the steps so that each experiment corresponds to specific aims in a logical sequences.
Separate your application from others with colorful and detailed photographs, charts and graphs. Place significant figures in the body of the text and less significant figures in the appendix.
Include the expected results based on the research methodology and under which conditions you will interpret such results. Include statistical analysis to simplify the complexities of the experiment.