Pearls of wisdom from the STTI 43rd Biennial Convention

I’m wrapping up my series of blog posts on the pearls of wisdom I plucked from the STTI 43rd Biennial Convention with this summary of Lois Marshall’s presentation titled,

“Research Abstracts, Proposals, and Grant Writing: Basics from Start to Finish”

Lois is a nurse education consultant and writer extraordinaire who explained that the most important element of a successful proposal for anything is a great idea.  Clarify your goals for your project, no matter what it is, and communicate how your project will make a difference to your stakeholders.

Take a careful look at what has already been done and written about your idea and get really comfortable with how you can build or improve on that.  Create a strong case for the reasons you should be funded/chosen/published.

Read and follow–to the letter–the guidelines and requirements!  One would think this would go without saying, but many proposals are rejected because simple directions were not followed.  Keep your proposal sections within the word limits.

Lois covered the common components of a proposal, which are basically a formula for writing your idea in a conventional format.  She provided very useful tips for each component; for example, she described how to write a good title for your project and provided examples of good titles and problematic titles.

Lois recommended applying for small grants, especially if you don’t have a history of being awarded for large grants or if you are changing your career trajectory.  She pointed out that STTI has several small grant opportunities and encouraged anyone who meets the eligibility requirements and has an idea to advance the practice of nursing to apply.

Lois kindly gave her permission for me to share her PowerPoint presentation with OSU College of Nursing faculty members.  If you are interested in knowing more, contact me, or attend the Flash Friday session I will offer in the spring semester on this topic.