Deck 17: Writing for Research-- Grant Proposals and Report Writing

Question 1

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance describes:

A)all legislation that has been passed by Congress and that offers support for research.
B)all the agencies of the federal government that offer peer-review services to researchers.
C)all federal government programs.
D)all of the social services that the federal government makes available to clients.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The purpose of visiting potential sources of funding for your grant is to:

A)get them to help write the grant proposal.
B)see if there are any advocates at the agency that could be of assistance to you.
C)provide a personal touch for your proposal when it is submitted.
D)all of the answers represent reasons to visit potential funding sources.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Generally, the same grant proposal cannot be sent out to a number of granting agencies because:

A)the agencies will not accept it.
B)each funding source has different needs and requirements for an acceptable proposal.
C)there are laws against submitting a grant proposal to more than one funding source at a time.
D)professional research organizations consider it unethical to submit a research proposal to more than one funding source at a time.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The best advocates are people who:

A)are favorably disposed toward your agency.
B)are not biased either for or against your proposed research project.
C)have some influence on the funding source.
D)are favorably disposed toward your agency and have some influence on the funding source.

Question 5

If you need grant monies to serve the needs of some local area or neighborhood, then the most likely source of funds might be:

A)family foundations.
B)general purpose foundations.
C)community foundations.
D)special purpose foundations.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the general categories of sources for grant monies for human service research and service delivery

A)charities
B)government agencies
C)private foundations
D)corporations

Question 7

The writing style in most grant proposals should focus on which audience

A)those not professionals in your field
B)other professionals in your field
C)those with some research and statistical skills
D)the uneducated public

Question 8

Which of the following computerized retrieval systems is the most comprehensive source of information on grants, covering government, corporate, and private funding sources

A)The "Grants" database prepared by the Dialog Corporation
B)Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
C)Federal Register
D)The Foundation Directory

Question 9

In research, the term "grant" refers to:

A)the application of a needs assessment to a population.
B)a provision of money or other resources to be used for research purposes.
C)the extension by courts of privileged confidentiality to the research relationship.
D)the final publication of the research report.

Question 10

Project grants provided by the federal government are best defined as:

A)a mechanism for allocating funds for large scale, nationwide programs.
B)federal contracts.
C)funding for a fixed period of specific projects, including research grants.
D)grant monies that can be used for research but not service delivery.

Question 11

The text suggests using all of the following to provide evidence of the problem or need that your research will help ameliorate EXCEPT:

A)key informants.
B)community forums.
C)public records.
D)the text suggests using all of the answers.

Question 12

In a grant application, community forums are used to:

A)specify the organization's mission.
B)develop the research design for the proposed research.
C)assist in the data analysis phase.
D)provide evidence supporting the existence of a need to be met by the research proposed in the grant.

Question 13

Corporate foundations are likely to give grant monies to projects that:

A)will benefit the corporation or its employees in some fashion.
B)serve the general good.
C)work through the state and local government.
D)are not likely to receive funding from any charitable or government agency.

Question 14

The term "advocate" refers to:

A)a person who can speak to funding agencies on your behalf.
B)a person who helps to prepare a grant proposal.
C)a person who helps to prepare the needs assessment survey to support the grant.
D)a person in a funding agency who might be particularly difficult to convince to approve the funding request.

Question 15

By far the largest source of grant money for human service research and service delivery is:

A)private foundations.
B)corporations.
C)religious organizations.
D)government agencies.

Question 16

Grant monies that are transferred from the federal government to the state government, which then allocates the money to state agencies and service providers, are called:

A)block grants.
B)project grants.
C)categorical grants.
D)formula grants.

Question 17

The preparation of a grant proposal should be considered a process rather than a single event because:

A)it takes a long time to prepare a grant.
B)work done on one grant can help in the preparation of another grant.
C)it involves a number of separate and interconnected elements that can be accomplished in different orders at different times.
D)all of the answers represent reasons.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT one of the types of foundations listed in the text

A)community foundations
B)family foundations
C)corporate foundations
D)peer foundations

Question 19

"Brainstorming" sessions would be useful at which stage of the grant development process

A)identifying a topic that would be worthy of grant monies
B)writing up the final research proposal
C)specifying the organization's mission
D)contacting and visiting funding sources

Question 20

Categorical grants are the same as:

A)formula grants.
B)block grants.
C)federal contracts.
D)project grants.

Question 21

The title of a research report would usually contain information about all of the following EXCEPT:

A)the independent variables in the study.
B)the dependent variables in the study.
C)the major findings of the study.
D)the sample size used in the study.

Question 22

Which of the following is true of the serial method of presenting references in a research report

A)References are listed in alphabetical order at the end of the report.
B)The serial method contains more information about the reference than does the Harvard method.
C)The serial method contains less information about the reference than does the Harvard method.
D)Citations are indicated numerically in the body of the text.

Question 23

In the grant proposal, the place to remind the funding source of who you are and that you bothered to visit the agency is in which component of the proposal

A)the problem or needs statement
B)the objectives
C)the methods
D)the cover letter

Question 24

The text recommends that, before submitting a research grant proposal to a funding agency, you:

A)conduct the research.
B)conduct a pilot study to see if the research design will work.
C)have several knowledgeable individuals critique the proposal.
D)submit a letter proposal.

Question 25

Publicizing scientific research findings accomplishes all of the following functions EXCEPT:

A)it reduces the need for replication.
B)it makes attempted suppression of findings more difficult.
C)it is an attempt to influence readers to accept particular ideas or conclusions.
D)it helps to apply the findings in developing programs and policies.

Question 26

The "attachments" component of a research grant proposal will contain all of the following EXCEPT:

A)a detailed budget of the proposal.
B)résumés of key personnel.
C)needs assessments results.
D)letters of support from advocates.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT listed in the text as one of the elements in a research report

A)budget
B)abstract
C)methods
D)results

Question 28

The "letter proposal" is most likely to be used by:

A)federal government funding agencies.
B)state government funding agencies.
C)private foundations.
D)grant proposals submitted by professional organizations.

Question 29

The "methods" component of a research grant proposal would contain:

A)a detailed budget of the proposal.
B)a complete description of how you plan to conduct the research.
C)a statement of what the problem is and why your research can help solve it.
D)the conclusions that the research will come to.

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT one of the audiences listed in the text for whom a research report might be intended

A)professionals in the social sciences
B)lay public
C)key informants in the research
D)all of the answers represent audiences mentioned

Question 31

The main purpose of the abstract of a research report is:

A)to provide a complete summary of the report.
B)for the reader to learn enough to decide whether to read the whole report.
C)to convince granting agencies to consider providing funds for a research project.
D)to inform the reader about what audience the report has been written for.

Question 32

The most common format for presenting references in the social sciences is:

A)the Harvard method.
B)the Dewey decimal system.
C)the serial method.
D)the Library of Congress system.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT listed by the text as one of the components of a grant proposal

A)needs assessment
B)objectives
C)budget
D)attachments

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a part of an abstract of a research article

A)statement of the problem
B)sample selection
C)method of study
D)all of the answers are normally parts of an abstract

Question 35

The text suggests that you assume that the panels that review research grant proposals, at both federal agencies and private foundations:

A)will contain some nonspecialists.
B)will consist entirely of specialists in the field of the research.
C)will contain no specialists in the field of the research.
D)will not look very carefully at your proposal.

Question 36

The term "Harvard method" refers to:

A)a referencing format.
B)a computerized database for searching for grant opportunities.
C)a format used in some abstracts.
D)a format used in some budgets.

Question 37

Rewriting and revision are an inherent part of the writing process because:

A)computers now make this rewriting possible.
B)very few writers are capable of making their first draft their final draft.
C)it is difficult to write clearly and comprehensively without rewriting.
D)very few writers are capable of making their first draft their final draft, and it is difficult to write clearly and comprehensively without rewriting.

Question 38

Various professional journals have different requirements in terms of format, review process, and the like, because:

A)they publish articles on different topics.
B)the journals have different audiences.
C)they are all trying to attract the same audience.
D)they are all trying to attract a large enough audience to make a profit.

Question 39

The "objectives" component of the grant proposal will contain:

A)a description of the mechanics of carrying out the research.
B)a clear and precise statement of what research will be done or service delivered.
C)a statement of what the problem is and why your agency can help solve it.
D)a detailed budget of the proposal.

Question 40

Bibliography formatting software will do all of the following EXCEPT:

A)search library files for bibliographic references on topics.
B)create a file with all the required information on references.
C)format the information in the bibliographic file into a variety of popular bibliographic styles.
D)all of the answers represent things that bibliography formatting software will do.

Question 41

Describe the major sources of grant funding provided by the federal government.

Question 42

Why is it so important to contact and visit a potential funding source before submitting a proposal to it What would you try to accomplish during the visit

Question 43

The writing of a research report is described as a process. Why is this so

Question 44

Describe the different types of private sources for funding grants, including a discussion of different types of foundations.

Question 45

Describe each of the elements that are usually included in writing a research report. What would be contained in each element and why is it important

Question 46

Describe the different components of a grant proposal, showing what goes in each component and why it is important

Question 47

In writing a grant proposal or research report, what considerations should be taken into account regarding the audience for your proposal or report How would this affect the writing of the proposal or report

Question 48

For a grant proposal, how would you establish the existence of some problem or need that could be ameliorated by your proposed project What elements might be used to establish this need

Question 49

The text lists ten specific pieces of information to obtain during a visit to a funding source. Identify as many of these as you can.

Question 50

Why should the development of grant proposals be considered a "process" rather than a "single event"