McNair Scholars Program

Indiana University Bloomington

2008 Guidelines for Summer Research Plan

Information for McNair Scholars and Faculty Research Mentors

Each McNair Scholar conducting research during the 2007 summer will prepare a research plan and submit it to the McNair Scholars Program Office by Tuesday, June 2, 2008. The faculty mentor should sign the research plan, acknowledging that he/she has read and approved the plan.

Research may not be started (i.e., no money will be dispersed) until the research plan has been approved, signed by the faculty research mentor, and submitted to the McNair Scholars Program Office. If appropriate, the Human/Animal Subjects Committee must also approve the research before the scholar begins any data collection.

The mentor and student should talk several times to discuss the developing research plan, beginning with the outline of the research and a statement of the research problem. The objective of the plan is to provide a clear and logical presentation of the 10-week summer research project. Format, sentence structure, and grammar are as important as the subject content. Faculty mentors are encouraged to comment both on content and writing style of the research plan.

Research plan formats may vary slightly, but they should include these major sections:

1. Introduction

What is the problem? (Review of literature - provides background to show that work needs to be done)

Why is it significant?

What is the solution? (Goals and objectives of this research project)

2. Methods (Outline of the Research Plan)

3. Literature Review (If not included fully in the Introduction)

4. Expected Outcomes

5. References (Works Cited)

6. Timeline of Research Activities

7. Budget of Research Supplies

8. Appendices (If necessary/appropriate)