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Home Division of Research & Innovation Researchers Pre-Proposal Guidelines

Pre-proposal Guidelines

Pre Proposal
We will require candidates to submit a pre-proposal that follows a similar format as the NEH application, sent to OSP@memphis.edu by May 31, 2018.  See below for full details:

Narrative—Not to Exceed Three Single-Spaced Pages

Applicants should provide an intellectual justification for their projects, conveying the ideas, objectives, methods, and work plan. A simple statement of need or intent is insufficient. The narrative should not assume specialized knowledge and should be free of technical terms and jargon.

Applicants should format pages with one-inch margins and with a font size no smaller than eleven point. Single-spacing is permissible. In the course of writing a narrative, applicants should address the following areas:

Research and contribution

  • Describe the intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Provide an overview of the project, explaining the basic ideas, problems, or questions examined by the study. Explain how the project will complement, challenge, or expand relevant studies in the field.

Methods and work plan

  • Describe your method(s) and clarify the part or stage of the project that will be supported by the Summer Stipend. Provide a work plan, describing what you will accomplish during the award period. Your work plan must be based on a full-time commitment to the project; part-time work is not allowed. If you do not anticipate finishing the entire project during the award period, discuss your plan for doing so.
  • For book projects, explain how the final project will be organized. If possible, provide a brief chapter outline. For digital projects, describe the technologies that will be used and developed, and explain how the scholarship will be presented to benefit audiences in the humanities.
  • Note that work plans should not be wholly dependent upon factors beyond an applicant’s control. For example, an applicant should not request an award solely to respond to readers’ reports on a book manuscript, if the applicant has not yet received those reports.
  • If you are requesting funding for the development, acquisition, preservation, or enhancement of geospatial data, products, or services, you must conduct a due diligence search at the Data.gov list of datasets to discover whether the needed geospatial-related data, products, or services already exist. If not, you must produce the proposed geospatial data, products, or services in compliance with applicable proposed guidance posted at https://www.fgdc.gov.

Competencies, skills, and access

  • Explain your competence in the area of your project. If the area of inquiry is new to you, explain your reasons for working in it and your qualifications to do so. Specify your level of competence in any language or digital technology needed for the study. Describe where the study will be conducted and what research materials will be used. If relevant, specify the arrangements for access to archives, collections, or institutions that contain the necessary resources.

Final product and dissemination

  • Describe the intended audience and the intended results of the project. If relevant, explain how the results will be disseminated and why these means are appropriate to the subject matter and audience. If the project has a website, please provide the URL. If the final product will appear in a language other than English, explain how access and dissemination will be affected.
  • NEH expects grantees to provide broad access to all grant products, insofar as the conditions of the materials and intellectual property rights allow. For projects that lead to the development of websites, all other considerations being equal, NEH gives preference to those that provide free access to the public.
  • NEH also expects that any materials produced in digital form as a result of its awards will be maintained so as to ensure their long-term availability. To that end, describe how the project’s digital results, if any, will be maintained and supported beyond the period of the grant.

Résumé—Not to Exceed Two Single-Spaced Pages

Your résumé should provide the following:

  • Current and Past Positions.
  • Education: List degrees, dates awarded, and titles of theses or dissertations.
  • Awards and Honors: Include dates. If you have received prior support from NEH, indicate the dates of these grants and the publications that resulted from them. When applicable, provide the dollar amount of any awards or fellowships that you received in the three years preceding the application deadline.
  • Publications: Include full citations for publications and presentations.
  • Other Relevant Professional Activities and Accomplishments.

Letters of Recommendation

Provide the names and affiliations for your proposed reference letter writers, indicating if they are confirmed or anticipated.