Common mistakes in Proposal writing

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Common mistakes in Proposal writing

Some of the mistakes are:

  1. Choosing a topic that is too large.
  2. Choosing a topic that is too complex for research at the level of the researcher.
  3. Not giving due consideration to the time factor. This factor is important because the research work is to be completed within the prescribed time period.
  4. Choosing research where materials are not easily accessible.
  5. Choosing research that is not researchable because the methodology of the study is not yet developed or outdated or incomplete.
  6. Using buzzwords and jargon.
  7. Objective not relevant to the project or research.
  8. Inadequate literature review.
  9. Irrelevant references should not be cited.
  10. Discussing more problems rather than solutions.
  11. The budget is inaccurate or very high.
  12. Repeating exact phrases from the funder’s guideline while developing proposals.
  13. The proposal is not structurally clear or has formatting problems.
  14. Grammar and punctuations should be correct and sentence construction should be simple.
  15. The expected result should be objective-oriented.
  16. Not having someone else review the submission.
  17. Instructions were not followed and/or all questions on the application form were not answered.
  18. Not requesting feedback.

References

  1. http://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/proposal-writing-and-research-resources/the-most-common-errors-made-in-research-proposals-and-applications/
  2. https://www.alliedwriters.com/grant-writing-mistakes/
  3. https://communispond.com/insights/blog/2018/02/08/696/6-common-mistakes-proposal-writers-make/
  4. https://blog.quoteroller.com/learn-from-common-mistakes-made-writing-a-proposal/
  5. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-not-to-do-grant-proposals-2501981
  6. https://captureplanning.com/articles/mistakes-proposal-writers-make.cfm
  7. https://personalexcellence.co/blog/business-proposal-mistakes/
  8. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4419-1454-5_8
  9. https://azwriting.com/tips/common-mistakes-in-research-proposal-writing.html
  10. https://www.eldis.org/document/A33734
  11. https://www.mastersthesiswriting.com/blog/research-proposal-help/5-typical-mistakes-in-research-proposal-writing.html
  12. https://www.executivecompass.co.uk/blog/top-tips/7-common-proposal-writing-mistakes/

About Author

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Sagar Aryal

Sagar Aryal is a microbiologist and a scientific blogger. He is doing his Ph.D. at the Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. He was awarded the DAAD Research Grant to conduct part of his Ph.D. research work for two years (2019-2021) at Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarbrucken, Germany. Sagar is interested in research on actinobacteria, myxobacteria, and natural products. He is the Research Head of the Department of Natural Products, Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS), Lalitpur, Nepal. Sagar has more than ten years of experience in blogging, content writing, and SEO. Sagar was awarded the SfAM Communications Award 2015: Professional Communicator Category from the Society for Applied Microbiology (Now: Applied Microbiology International), Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK). Sagar is also the ASM Young Ambassador to Nepal for the American Society for Microbiology since 2023 onwards.

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