Writing Scientific Project Proposals in Ethnobotany: Tips and tricks

Select the proper keywords: they are used to select evaluators. If they do not match with your research you may be rejected since your proposal may be judged by an evaluator who deals with other disciplines. GS at SEB Project description I usually try to be clear in describing the project, using figures to illustrate the network, the connections within the group and the planned activities. GS at SEB Objectives Specific aims should not be more than three or four and it would be better if they are somehow correlated/connected. GS at SoE Objectives A first reason for rejection is that objectives are not clear, or are not related to the focus of my agency. However, sometimes I accept proposals even if they are not so well written, or objectives are not clear, in case these proposals come from the community. GM at SoE Objectives Projects are rejected when objectives are not clear, or they might be clear but do not have appeal. GS at SBI Objectives Grants are rejected because they are descriptive. They have to be hypothesisdriven and they need sound methodology. GS at SEB The state of the art A general problem is that people are not well aware of the state of the art of their research (so they do not have a deep knowledge of the background and do not know that their ideas may be out of date). Thus, it is very important to detail the state of the art of your research proposal. Sometimes, since ethnobotany is interdisciplinary, background studies may be listed/incorporated in other disciplines. GS at SEB Methods/ timetable Methods have to be clear and the timetable needs to be realistic. GS at SBI Network Once I have found a grant and a good idea, I start to look for the proper network. Network is an important part of preparing a project: it has to be efficient. GS at SBI Network Network is important. In multidisciplinary projects it could be useful to create few sub-teams working on different aspects of the project. GS at SEB Network Having a good network is very important. I would prefer to work with people coming from developing countries and with people working in different fields/disciplines. GS at SEB Ethics Research, in order to be considered good, should come from the community or at least have the support of the community (letter of support from members of the community). GM at SoE Ethics Ethics are a key issue, but if the researchers come from the same country where the research will be carried out, this factor is less problematic. Also it is very unlikely to obtain a new drug from information gathered through ethnobotanical interviews. GS at SEB Savo et al. Writing Scientific Project Proposals in Ethnobotany www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/vol9/i1547-3465-09-325.pdf 333 General Concept Informant’s Suggestion Informants Outcomes/ Outputs Usually are books and articles. GS at SoE Outcomes/ Outputs Results must always have long term effects. GS at SBI Outcomes/ Outputs A key point is that you have to be sure that you will be able to obtain your expected results. It is not important if they are positive results, they might also be negative, but they have to be meaningful for the advancement of science/knowledge. GS at SoE Outcomes/ Outputs I always try to achieve results that may have some benefits for the local community (especially addressing the local conservation of knowledge). GS at SEB Outcomes/ Outputs I try to develop a project that can bring something useful and concrete for the community. I do not like to be rejected because my project does not bring anything to people. I always add to projects actions that can really produce something for the community. Concerning this point, I usually try to highlight the potential outcomes, concrete objectives and potential long term outputs. GS at SBI Broader impact Sacred areas, cultural key stone species may also be important for environmental protection. GS at SEB Resources and Budget I prefer not to have constrains as regards to budget. The provisional budget needs to cover all the required actions of the project. It is more important to pursue the aim of the project and collect all the necessary data than to limit expenses and have poor data. GS at SBI Cover letter A common problem is that I have no idea who the grant seekers are. In these cases it could be important to have preliminary contacts with me (the grant maker). I would appreciate a letter of introduction from the grant seekers BEFORE they apply for the grant. GM at SoE Following actions Do expect to be rejected, it is part of the process, do not take it personally “no problem, move on and try again”. “You win when you lose some”. Finally, if you have been rejected once, and you want to apply again for the same grant in the future, start your new proposal saying that you have been rejected the last time and that you did all the required changes (that were suggested). Make clear what you have changed from the last proposal. GS at SoE Following actions Learn from your mistakes, be humble and accept comments. When the list of granted projects is published, study the ideas, projects, research groups that have been awarded and try to understand the main reason for their having been granted and your having been rejected. GS at SBI Various comments Sometimes it is clear that the grant seekers just look for money. “If you just want to get money, it is not going to work”. GM at SoE Various comments It should be clear that the grant seekers have passion for the topic and if so, it is pretty easy to understand it when you are evaluating a proposal. Thus, if your intention is to making something concrete, positive for the community and that you are doing that because you LIKE and WANT to do that, it would result crystal clear from the proposal. GM at SoE Various comments I usually try to find what could be the critical points for the evaluation, which can be the points that could make a difference between a granted and an unfunded project and I try to find out what might be the review processes. GS at SoE Various comments I have a wide experience on projects granted by the EU commission. I know the projects that have been granted and thus I can usually see which project could be granted in relation to the mission of the EU Commission. You have to be always updated, take part to meetings and conferences, exchange ideas, reasoning in a strategic way, connecting/relating things that apparently have no relation, look outside the schemes, forecasting future trends. GS at SBI Ethnobotany Research & Applications 334 www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/vol9/i1547-3465-09-325.pdf Conclusions The authors hope that this paper will help readers in writing better ethnobotanical grant proposals. However, since writing a proposal is usually complicated and there could be a lot of different formats and guidelines it may be helpful to look for alternative and complementary sources for grant writing and funding information, including advice from past awardees from the particular granting agency. Publically funded institutions or foundations generally provide lists of past awardees, including their home institutions and contact information. Finally, the authors hope that this paper will help young researchers to improve the quality of their grant writing in order to have more funding in the field of ethnobotany and thus help the advance of this discipline.