Project Proposal Evaluation Rubric

The Student Project Proposals are evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Student clearly describes the purpose of the project and a well-defined, testable hypothesis or question that is suitable for a minimum of 8-week summer project and the student’s level of research experience.
2. Student demonstrates understanding of why studying this question or hypothesis is important, and clearly describes what needs to be done to complete the project.
3. Methods to be used for data collection and data analysis are clearly described and appropriate for the goal of the research. Also, the student’s role in the analysis of data and interpretation of results is clearly described.
4. Student demonstrates understanding of how the results of the project will contribute to the knowledge in this field.
5. Student clearly defines their “independent role” that allows them to make “an intellectual contribution to the project.” This is especially important for students who will be doing a sub-project within a larger project. The proposal must clearly define the student’s discrete project for which they are personally responsible and should be independent from other post-graduate researchers including post-graduate fellows, clinical fellows, or residents.
6. Timeline is sufficiently detailed to convince the reviewer that the project will be completed within a minimum of 8 weeks to ensure meeting the poster presentation requirement in Fall, 2024.
7. If applicable, the proposal describes specific plans for obtaining Human Subjects or Animal Use and Care Committee approval in advance of the project start date.
8. Faculty Mentor provides a statement describing the student’s expected role in the project, their plan to provide appropriate and regular supervision throughout the 9 weeks (weekly at minimum), and their signature indicating their commitment to helping the student have a successful scholarly experience.