Characteristics of Exemplary Conference Proposals The following characteristics were compiled from proposal reviewers and session participants when asked What are the top five characteristics of an exemplary proposal What are significant shortcomings errors of omissions commission of a poor proposal Do you have any suggestions for improving the quality of proposal submissions Clarity and succinctness of writing clear and concise explanation of topic goals and format no jargon or insider speak clarity of thought shown in the description readable clear proposal structure concisely stated objectives understandable content for someone not familiar with the work evidence of thought given to content and session plan and how the plan will accomplish the objectives communicates precisely what will be happen in the allotted time underlying concepts theories are clearly stated written in the active voice Timeliness and importance of the topic topic is relevant to current educational practices innovative original and creative fills a niche or is a hot topic interesting fun to read exciting new idea or approach appeals to both logical and creative sides of the brain topic is right for the Generalists audience has potential for contributing to literature and practice if an older topic authors should demonstrate awareness of previous work topic is relevant to the conference theme Organization and completeness organized in content and plan purpose format and content fit the session type time allotment is realistic based on the outlined plan author has followed the written instructions all required materials are included typed clean copy no errors well defined audience activities title and abstract are relevant original intriguing title matches description and abstract Academic merit methods match intended purpose of study concept and conclusions are theoretically grounded suggestions are offered for further study activity study objective and plan are provided summary of study is succinct strengths and weaknesses of study are included demonstrates knowledge of current literature generalizable and portable useful to others demonstrates authors having wrestled with topic data and results are well supported Shortcomings of Poor Proposals L Absence of characteristics listed above L Weak knowledge base unacknowledged methodological problems evidence that the author is not current on important issues lack of familiarity with previous writings on the topic no literature citations unoriginal work lack of or a weak theoretical base limited generalizability too limited to one school program L Failure to follow directions for proposal submission L Evidence of hasty preparation Typographical and or grammatical errors no proofreading L Inadequate supporting data indications that data has been collected but not analyzed no preliminary results are necessary L No plan to engage audience for most session types L Presentation seems too long too short for session type L Lack of clarity thoroughness incoherent incomplete sentences run on sentences verbosity too few details rambling writing style lack of direction or focus unrelated disconnected narrative unrelated to study Suggestions for Improving the Quality of Future Submissions n n n n n n n tighten requirements for acceptance to counteract the perception that it s easy to get a proposal to the Generalists accepted provide advance notice during the conference about next year s proposal deadlines schedule a brainstorming session for those who only see each other once a year to work up an idea for the next conference include an ideal proposal with the Call for Proposals include annotations to point out most effective aspects include handout Characteristics of Exemplary Proposals with the Call for Proposals consider having only 2 types of session categories descriptive and workshop define each clearly in the instructions revise the proposal review form Proposal Writing Getting Started Challenges Knowing about and choosing a presentation format Finding the time and place to do it Strategies Dictate initial ideas in the car on an airplane with no distractions etc Think about content and session outline before writing it down Get a first rough draft on paper then plan time to polish it later Why am I doing this What have I done that would be interesting and would contribute to medical education and or to the work of other Generalists Involve a colleague in brainstorming and or writing the proposal Assign tasks to collaborators agree on deadlines Doing a literature search and finding time to review sources If you were the reviewer of your proposal Is the topic interesting Would you want to go to this session Is there enough time to cover the proposed material Did you complete all sections on the submission forms Can you imagine how the session will flow What other questions would you have as the reviewer Does the proposal topic have a theoretical base Need for perfection Let go deal and understand the drive for perfectionism Knowing what to include and what to exclude You may not need to cover all aspects of the topic Narrow the topic if necessary Could it be divided into two or more proposals
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