Research Methods in Evolutionary Computing

Spring Semester 2020 Full Proposal Requirements

  • Due date & time: 10:00 PM Thursday February 13, 2020
  • Maximum section lengths: A - one page, B - five pages, C - unrestricted
  • Margins: 1 inch
  • Font: Computer Modern (LaTeX's default font), Times New Roman, Calibri, or with instructor approval
  • Font size: 11 point
  • Spacing: single spaced

    • Required headings, sections, and subsections

  • Top Heading: COMP 7970/7976 Spring 2020 Full Proposal

    • Section A: Project Summary

  • Subsection A.1: Your name and degree program(s) (e.g., Cathy Jones, BS in Computer Science with minor in Biology)
  • Subsection A.2: Project title (as descriptive and specific as possible while being short and peppy)
  • Subsection A.3: Description (concise high-level description of your proposed research and the problem(s) it addresses)
  • Subsection A.4: Intellectual Merit (How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? This describes the scientific contributions of your research.)
  • Subsection A.5: Societal Benefit (Describe the societal benefits of your proposed research and motivate funding it by emphasizing society's urgent need for it. Making a personal connection to the reviewer improves your persuasiveness. This subsection summarizes the general motivation for your proposed research.)

    • Section B: Project Narrative

  • Subsection B.1: Introduction (State and motivate scientific questions you propose to investigate. Recommended typical length: 0.5 pages.)
  • Subsection B.2: Related work (Summarize the published research related to what you are going to propose and explain why it's deficient and how your proposed research will address those deficiencies. Recommended typical length: 1-2 pages.)
  • Subsection B.3: Proposed research (Describe your proposed approach to answering the scientific questions you stated in the introduction. Recommended typical length: 2-3 pages.)
  • Subsection B.4: Qualifications & Resources (Briefly explain why you are qualified to conduct the proposed research and make the case that the resources at your disposal are sufficient to carry out the research as envisioned. Recommended typical length: 0.25 pages.)
  • Subsection B.5: Tentative work plan (Present a task list and tentative schedule for completing those tasks; also indicate deliverables on schedule; indicate which tasks, if any, have a non-negligible chance of failure and what alternative approach you could attempt in case of failure. Recommended typical length: 0.5 pages.)

    • Section C: References

    List here all the references you cite in your proposal.