crop science research proposal

Apply     MyCAS

• Faculty / Staff
• Learning Outcomes
• News Archives
• Academic Program
• Advising checklists
• Campus Resources
• Double Majors and Minors
• Animal Reproduction & Development
• Applied Genetics
• Bioproducts
• Biotechnology
• Climate and Biosystems Modeling
• Environmental Chemistry
• Food Quality
• Genomics/Bioinformatics
• Pest Biology & Management
• Plant Growth & Development
• Sustainable Ecosystems
• Water Resources
• BRR Timeline
• Finding a Mentor
• First Resume
• Initial Project Meeting
• Research Proposal
• Option Courses
• Laboratory Notebook
• Secondary Mentor
• Progress Report
• Final Seminar and Thesis Defense
• Grants and Scholarships
• Dress for Success
• Preparing for Graduate School
• Useful Resources
• Future Students
• Mentor's Checklist
• 2016 Scholars
• 2013 Scholars
• 2011 Scholars
• 2009 Scholars
• MSP Mentors
• MSP Scholar Graduates
• MSP Mentor Graduates
• Tips for Success
• News and Activities

The Research Proposal

During the first term that you are enrolled in research credits, complete a 2-3 page proposal that briefly and succinctly outlines your proposed research, containing:

• Introduction, leading to Problem Statement or Needs Assessment,
• Research Objectives,
• Expected Outcomes and Impact
• References (minimum 3-5 publications, properly formatted)

To do this, you should have planning meetings with your mentor. Your mentor will explain the project that s/he has in mind for you, or help you develop your own ideas for a project. Ask your mentor for background material to read such as research papers and grant proposals. Ask a librarian for assistance in looking for references on your research topic. You can contact a librarian by telephone or e-mail to set up an appointment, or email a brief project description to the BRR librarian, Hannah Rempel, at [email protected] , or call (541)737-9902. Or, use the list of specialized librarians by department/program, available at: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/staff/sublist.html Submit a draft of your proposal to your mentor for suggestions and approval. When you are both satisfied with it, your mentor and secondary mentor must initial it and you must turn in a copy to the BRR office for your files. This proposal must be completed during the first term that you sign up for research (BRR 401) credits. This writing assignment partially fulfills the WIC requirements for BRR majors.

College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Dan Arp at the Pendleton Roundup

Crop Science Author Instructions

Manuscript submission, article requirements, publication fees.

Related Editorial Links

ASA, CSSA, SSSA Editorial Policies

Publications Handbook and Style Manual

Crop Science  Homepage

Controlled Environment Research Guidelines

Crop Science  (CS) is an international journal publishing significant advances in crop science. Papers chosen for publication must demonstrate relevance to a crop system and present new knowledge of value and interest to scientists studying other crops, or studying the same crop in different production conditions. Studies that confirm previous advances or contain information primarily of local interest will not be accepted. Manuscripts may focus on any aspect of crop science, including but not limited to agronomy, physiology, and genetics, and will be classified according to the Crop Science Society of America division with which they align most closely. Crop Science also publishes thematic collections of articles across its scope and includes topical Review, and Perspectives articles.

Articles reporting experimentation or research in field crops or reviews of such research will be accepted for review as papers. For research involving controlled environments, see our Controlled Environment Research guidelines . Letters to the editor are welcomed and are published subject to review and approval of the editor. When letters concern previous articles, the authors will be invited to reply; letter and reply are published together. Forage breeding manuscripts should be submitted to Division C-1 rather than C-6.

Manuscript Types

• Original Article. Papers that present novel findings that advance current knowledge on a specific research topic (one to multiple pages).
• Review. Longer, more comprehensive papers presenting interpretation of data that has largely been previously published.
• Lecture. By invite only, papers associated with one of Crop Science Society of America Lectureships.
• Issues. Topical papers on issues related to crop science.
• Scientific Perspective. Shorter papers presenting a broader, more personal perspective on a single specific topic, usually providing interpretation of data that has largely been previously published.
• Plant Breeding Review. State-of-the-art reviews on plant genetics and the breeding of all types of crops by both traditional means and molecular methods. 
• Horticultural Review. State-of-the-art reviews on topics in horticultural science and technology covering both basic and applied research.
• Invited Review. By invitation only, longer, more comprehensive papers presenting interpretation of data that has largely been previously published.
• Letter to the Editor. Papers to provide a forum to discuss specific topics. 300 words or less. Published subject to review and approval by the Editor.
• Book Review. Short description of a book related to the crop science field.

Crop Science also publishes special sections, which are designed to bring to the forefront and promote new areas of research of broad interest to the Crop Science readership; highlight and provide a platform for scientific exchange resulting from symposia, collaborative projects, and topical conferences through rigorous and professional peer review process; and provide a periodic overview of the state of the art in various research areas by soliciting contributions from active leaders in the field of crop science. A typical special section size varies from 6 to 25 manuscripts. A proposal for a special section solicits and calls for papers along a theme (approved by the Crop Science Editor) to be submitted, reviewed, and published within the time frame of approximately one year. Submit your proposal using our online form .

Back to top  

Download the  CS Manuscript Submission Template  and  Pre-Submission Manuscript Formatting Checklist .

Submit manuscripts at the CS Manuscript Submission Site . Submissions to CS may not be previously published in their entirety or simultaneously submitted to any other scientific or technical journal. American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) journals follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style) for references. Consult our Publications Handbook and Style Manual for specific questions about style.

Creating the Manuscript File

Microsoft Word or LaTeX files may be submitted for review. For your convenience, we encourage you to use our Word template . The manuscript should be double-spaced, using page and continuous line numbers. See our LaTex File Submission Guidelines  for instructions on submitting LaTeX files.

Peer Review and Revisions

All manuscripts submitted undergo single blind peer review. Papers are assigned to a technical editor, who will assign an associate editor to solicit at least two reviews. After evaluating the completed reviews, the associate editor will recommend a decision to the technical editor. Authors will be prompted to provide a list of potential reviewers. These reviewers must not have a conflict of interest involving the authors or paper, and the editorial board has the right to not use any reviewers suggested by authors. See the  ASA, CSSA, SSSA Editorial Policies  information page for additional information on review policy. All revisions to the manuscript during the review process will be made by the author only, and revisions will be given the same manuscript number, with an R number on the end (e.g., CROP-2006-04-0017-ORA.R1). Each revision has the opportunity for another round of review—the manuscript status “awaiting reviewer selection” is automatic and does not indicate a resubmission. Authors have four weeks to review and return their manuscript following reviewer and associate editor comments. Manuscripts may be released if revisions are not received, and the paper will have to be submitted as a new manuscript. Within days of submission, we'll decide whether or not to send your paper through review. For papers that are reviewed, the average time from submission to final decision (including revisions) is about 80 days. Accepted papers go through an average of two revisions. During the writing and revision process, authors are encouraged to use efficient and concise writing, reducing redundant or wordy text. This will both improve the readability of the manuscript and avoid excessive per page charges, which are applied to papers after acceptance (see Publication Fees section below).

Corresponding authors are required to use an ORCID iD when submitting a manuscript. More information on ORCID can be found on their website . We encourage all authors to list their ORCID iD in the manuscript.

Plagiarism Screening

Papers submitted to ASA, CSSA, SSSA journals are screened for plagiarism before being sent for review. If there appears to be major repetition from other sources, the editor will evaluate the duplication and take appropriate action as warranted.

Back to top

Full papers must be either reports of original research, critical reviews, or interpretive articles. The journal also publishes book reviews and letters to the editor. Papers related to crop science software are accepted as original research or letters to the editor (see  guidelines ). Authors should follow the  Publications Handbook and Style Manual  when formatting manuscripts for submission.

Please submit the manuscript file in Word format containing the title, abstract, text, references, figures, and tables. The submission should contain the following elements:

• Title page (includes byline and affiliations)
• Affiliations
• Plain Language Summary
• Abbreviations
• Data Availability statement (optional)
• Conflict of Interest statement
• Author Contributions
• Acknowledgments
• Supplemental Material statement
• References list
• Figures* and figure captions

*Tables and figures (review quality) with captions should be placed into the text document at first mention. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, figures must also be submitted separately as high-resolution image files in the following acceptable formats: PDF, EPS, TIF, or JPEG.

Paper Structure

Title page. The title page should include the title (preferably 12 words or fewer, not including conjunctions or prepositions), author list, and author affiliations, including city, state, and country. Also include in this section the corresponding author’s email address. Use an asterisk to identify the corresponding author.

Core Ideas. Include 3 to 5 summary statements that convey the core findings of the article. These statements should identify the most relevant outcomes of the paper and encapsulate the significance of the research. Each statement must be a complete sentence 115 characters or less (spaces included). Core ideas are published with the paper.

Abstract. Abstracts are a single self-contained paragraph of no more than 1500 characters – including word spaces ‑ for papers or 750 characters for Notes. Abstracts should contain the rationale, objectives, methods, results, and their meaning or scope of application. Be specific. Identify the crops or organisms involved, the soil type, chemicals, and other details that are pertinent to the results. Do not cite references.

Abbreviations. Prepare a list in alphabetical order of abbreviations used in your article. Do not include SI units, chemical abbreviations, or abbreviations listed in the style manual as not needing definition.

Text. The usual order of sections is an Introduction (which includes the literature review), Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions (optional). Results and Discussion may be combined, and conclusions can be given at the close of the Discussion section.

Data Availability Statement. Authors are encouraged to include a data availability statement directing readers to research data. Include this statement directly after the main text.

Conflict of Interest Statement. Authors should include a statement just before the References section that explains any conflicts of interest. If there are none, authors should explicitly state there are no conflicts of interest.

Author Contributions. The contributions of each author to this work must now be indicated as part of the submission process. You may provide Author Contributions at original submission, but you MUST provide the information at revised submission. The submitting author is required to assign specific author contribution roles for each coauthor, using the  CRediT  taxonomy to indicate their respective roles. The 14 roles are Conceptualization , Data curation , Formal analysis , Funding acquisition , Investigation , Methodology , Project administration , Resources , Software , Supervision , Validation , Visualization , Writing – original draft , and Writing – review & editing . Author Contributions will be published with the accepted article and cannot be edited after article acceptance. Therefore, you must ensure the Author Contribution information you provide is accurate prior to final acceptance.

A final acknowledgments paragraph may be included.

Supplemental Material. Supplemental material may be included in the online version of articles at the discretion of the editors. The material must be submitted along with the original manuscript and will undergo peer review. Authors are encouraged to submit materials that contribute to the content and quality of the article or to use supplemental material as a means to shorten the text of manuscripts. Ancillary information such as some experimental data, including schematics of apparatus and maps of study sites, or material of interest mainly to specialists, are examples of potential supplemental material. When using supplemental material to shorten the text of a manuscript, keep in mind that the Materials and Methods section should provide enough detail to allow the reader to determine whether the interpretations are supported by the data. Include a short (one- or two-sentence) paragraph, titled “Supplemental Material,” describing the supplemental material in the main manuscript directly after the main text.

Supplemental tables and figures should be cited in order in the main manuscript, as Supplemental Table S1, etc. Supplemental material should be formatted with a cover sheet listing authors and manuscript title, and the number of pages, figures, and tables. Tables and figures should be numbered Supplemental Table or Supplemental Figure S1, S2, etc. The journal program manager may limit the quantity of supplemental material posted. Ideally, the supplement should consist of a single PDF or MS Word file (rather than a series of files with individual images or structures). Other file types, such as Quick Time or Excel, may be allowed. Contact the program manager with questions about file types. If submitting videos please use the format .FLV (Flash Video) with 640 x 480 or 720 x 480 (widescreen) as the resolution. If you do not have this format available to you please contact the program manager. The following are not allowed: executables (.exe) of any kind, java script, TeX, or PowerPoint.

In place of supplemental material, our journals encourage the use of data repositories that assign DOIs or other persistent unique identifier (PID) to the data.

References. ASA, CSSA, SSSA journals follow the APA style for citations and references. The author-year system for citations is required; do not use numbered references. Refer to  chapter 1  of the Publications Handbook and Style Manual for examples of our reference and citation style, in addition to following these guidelines:

• Arrange the list alphabetically by the surnames of the first authors and then by the second and third authors.
• Single-authored articles should precede multiple-authored articles for which the individual is first author.
• Two or more articles by the same author are listed chronologically; two or more in the same year are indicated by a, b, c, etc.
• Only literature that is available through libraries or other readily accessible public media can be cited. Material that does not meet this standard should be cited as personal communication or unpublished data.

Tables. Each entry should appear in a new table cell. Do not use tabs, spaces, or graphics. Cite each table in the text in numerical order; do not use table parts (1a, 1b).  Each table must be cited in the text. Table heads should be brief but complete and self-contained. Define all variables and spell out all abbreviations. Table notes can include “Notes” for general notes that apply to the entire table, superscript lowercase letters for specific notes, and asterisks and other symbols as needed for significance notes.

Note on means comparisons: When letters are used to display the significance of pairwise mean comparisons in tables or figures, the meaning of letters should be concisely described in captions. Two examples of suitable verbiage: "Means not sharing a letter are significantly different at the 5% level of significance according to a t-test," or "Means with a letter in common are not significantly different at the 5% level according to Tukey's HSD test." Also see Piepho, H.P. (2018) Letters in mean comparisons: What they do and don't mean . Agronomy Journal , 110, 431-434.

Figures. At submission, review-quality figures with captions should be placed into the main text document at first mention. Authors may also submit figures as separate files. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, color figures must adhere to our color-figure policy . Figures must also be submitted separately as high-resolution image files (300 dpi preferred) in the following acceptable formats: PDF, EPS, TIFF, or JPEG. PPT files are acceptable if the figure was created in PowerPoint. Width of figures should approximate desired print size, i.e., 80 mm for a one-column figure, 180 mm for a two-column figure. All figure parts should be labeled. Multi-panel figures should be submitted as one image. In biplots, PCA plots, multidimensional scaling plots or any other plots based on a singular value decomposition or spectral decomposition (eigenvalue analysis) of a multivariate data matrix, it is important to make sure that both axes are equally scaled exactly, i.e. the aspect ratio is 1:1. This means that the distance in metric units (e.g. millimeters) between two tick marks on the horizontal axis is exactly the same as the distance between the equivalent pair of tick marks on the vertical axis. Also see Malik, W., Piepho, H.P. (2019): Biplots: Do not stretch them! Crop Science , 58, 1061-1069.

Spell out abbreviations on first mention in figure captions, even if they have already been defined in the main text. Define symbols used either in the caption or in a legend within the figure. For more information on figures, see Chapter 5 of the style manual.

Math. Use keyboard formatting where possible (i.e., bold, super-/subscripts, simple variables, Greek font, etc.); if needed, use MathType (preferred) or Word Equation Editor (only if MathType is not available).    

Units of Measure. The International System of Units (SI) must be used. Other units may be indicated in parentheses after the SI unit if this helps understanding or is needed for replication of the work.

Citing Genetic Material

Authors of CSSA publications must cite plant introductions, as well as registered cultivars, germplasm, parental lines, and genetic stocks when they are mentioned in the text of the Introduction, Discussion, or Characteristics section of research papers. Such genetic materials must also be cited when they are used to develop unreleased genetic populations that are the focus of the research paper, unless the development of the population can be cited more directly. Authors are encouraged to cite the Journal of Plant Registrations if possible. Other sources for citation information include the Genetic Resource Information Network (GRIN) maintained by the USDA. Registrations published in CS and the Journal of Plant Registrations (JPR) are indexed on the GRIN website . A general search in GRIN is available here .

Nomenclature

Both the accepted common name and the chemical name of pesticides must be given upon first mention in the manuscript. Use chemical symbols for elements, ions, and simple compounds except at the beginning of a sentence or in a title or heading. The Latin binomial or trinomial (and authority for plants) must be included with the common name for all plants, insects, pathogens, and animals at first mention. When referring to soils, give at least the subgroup in accord with the US system of soil taxonomy. Ideally, both the series and complete family name should be given.

To ensure uniformity and to have clear definitions of terms used for grazing lands and grazing animals literature, manuscripts submitted to the C-06 section of CS are required to adhere to the terminology developed by the Forage and Grazing Terminology Task Force . Submissions that use terms and definitions that deviate from the recommended terminology will be returned to authors for corrections before they are sent for review. 

Changes to Author Byline

From time to time, authors' names are either added or removed from a given manuscript between the time of submission and publication. In situations such as this, the ethical and responsible manner of handling this type of change is for the lead author to advise the author being added or removed of the change and to notify, in writing, the journal editor and program manager for approval. In addition, all coauthors should notify the program manager that they are aware of and approve of the change.

Consent and Permissions

Before submitting the paper, the corresponding author should send each living coauthor a draft copy of the manuscript and obtain the coauthors’ assent to coauthorship. Authors are responsible for obtaining all permissions for use of figures or other material from other publishers and should supply these permissions when the manuscript is accepted. Authors are also responsible for obtaining permission from individuals whose images are included in photographs. Note that ASA, CSSA, and SSSA reserve the right to publish and republish any images you submit with a manuscript.

Errata may be used by the authors of a paper to correct errors and omissions that affect the integrity of the version of record that are identified after publication. All additions and corrections are subject to editorial approval and must be approved by all coauthors before submission; corrections of minor errors or omissions will not be published. Send all errata requests to the journal's program manager.

Plain Language Summaries

Plain language summaries (PLS) are aimed at scientists in other fields, researchers across disciplines, undergraduate and graduate students, and readers not fluent in English. PLS should be written in language that can be understood by an undergraduate student. We suggest writing at a ninth-grade level so that the PLS is easy to read for readers across a variety of disciplines. Make the summary clear, concise, interesting, and free from jargon. Emphasize your results—what you found and why it is important—rather than your methods. The goal is to draw the reader into the journal and to your research. Avoid the use of abbreviations.

The summary should contain a five- to six-sentence summary starting with one or two sentences explaining the problem or issue, followed by a description of what you discovered, your key findings or conclusion, and what the results mean. Plain language summaries in our journals have a limit of 1000 characters (about 150 words).

We recommend that you structure your plain language summary with four key elements: subject overview, research purpose, key findings, and key takeaways.

Subject Overview (1-3 sentences)—What does a nonspecialist reader need to know about the subject to understand your paper? Explain the broad scientific topic to provide context for your study.

Research Purpose (1-3 sentences)—What did you set out to investigate? Give a brief overview of what you set out to do in the research and how you went about it.

Key Findings (1-3 sentences)—What was your most significant result or conclusion? Describe your overall findings but don’t get caught up in explaining technical details.

Key Takeaways (1-2 sentences)—Why should a reader care about your findings? Explain the scientific importance or societal relevance of your study.

Once it is complete, ask someone from outside your scientific discipline to read your summary and provide feedback. If they can’t understand the study or its conclusions, revise it for clarity.

Author Page Charges

Manuscripts accepted for publication are assessed a mandatory per page author page fee for the eighth page and more pages published. Society members are charged $50 per page after seven pages and nonmembers are charged $100 per page after seven pages. The corresponding author must be a member to receive the member rate.

Optional Open Access Opportunity

After manuscript acceptance, authors have the option of paying an additional open access licensing fee of $1,750 to apply an open access license at the time of publication to make the article freely available without a subscription. These fees are in addition to any applicable author page charges.

Journal articles are published open access under the CC BY-NC-ND (attribution, noncommercial, no derivatives) license. Learn more

Authors may request that their article be published under the CC BY (attribution) license. Learn more

No author page fees are charged for invited reviews, comments, or letters to the editor.

Institutional Funding and Transformational Agreements

Your institution or funder may be able to help with open access licensing fees through a transformational agreement. For qualified authors, fees may be covered in full or part when publishing in the journal. Visit the institutional funder payments web page to learn if you qualify and for more information.

Authors Funded by cOAlition S

If you or one of your co-authors received funding from a member of cOAlition S, there may be restrictions on where you can publish. Please check your agreement with your funder for specific details. The information and author compliance tool on this web page can help you make an informed decision about where to publish in alignment with funder and journal requirements.

Green Open Access

Authors with an open access requirement mandated by a funding agency should purchase one of the two gold open access options with funds designated for publication charges by the funding agency. For other repository requirements, authors may post a PDF of the accepted version of a paper to funder and institutional repositories and/or employer’s sites after a 12-month embargo. Authors may post accepted papers to their own personal websites. The doi link must appear on the PDF.

Official Sources

• Spelling: Merriam-Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary
• Plant scientific names: USDA–ARS GRIN database
• Soil series descriptions: USDA–NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions
• Chemical names: PubChem
• Fungal nomenclature: Fungi on Plants and Plant Products in the United States (APS Press)
• ASA, CSSA, SSSA journal style: Publications Handbook and Style Manual

For questions about the format of submissions, the process of submitting a manuscript, or about the status of manuscripts that have been submitted and assigned a manuscript number, please contact the CS program manager .

Author Resources

Submit a Manuscript

Journal Author Resources

Editorial Policies

Video Summaries

Peer Review

Wiley Author Services

Reuse and Permissions

Publications

Institutional Subscriptions

Customer Service

Advertising

Peer Review Mentorship Program

• Cornell University Home
• College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Home

School of Integrative Plant Science

Research: Soil & Crop Sciences

The Section of Soil and Crop Sciences addresses the challenge of developing environmentally sustainable agricultural systems to produce food on regional, national, and international scales through three major program areas: Soil Science, Crop Science, and Environmental Information Systems.

Program Areas

Soil biogeochemistry.

Advance our understanding of biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrient elements in soil, providing important insight into regional and global element cycles which provide the basis for sustainable soil and land use management. Stabilization mechanisms of organic matter in soil nano-structures and the development of a biochar soil management technology that improves soil fertility, sequesters carbon and reduces off-site pollution. Research topics include: carbon sequestration in the context of climate change and black carbon dynamics; using synchrotron-based NEXAFS and FTIR for the micro- and nano-scale observation of biogeochemical cycles in soils; and the study of so-called Terra Preta de Indio (Amazonian Dark Earths), anthropogenic soils. Recent efforts include the combination of bio-energy and biochar applications to soil, which offer the opportunity to develop a carbon-negative energy technology which at the same time improves the environment.

Faculty Programs: Lehmann , Solomon

Soil Chemistry

Behavior of contaminants such as heavy metals at the soil-water interface in the environment, and soil health, as it is impacted by the contamination of soils by various waste materials, commercial fertilizers and manures. Protecting food crops from toxic metal contaminants, minimizing trace element deficiencies, and developing methods for testing and remediating contaminated soils. Use process-based measurements and state-of-the-art spectroscopic (e.g., XAS, FTIR, NMR), microscopic (e.g., TEM, SEM) and diffraction (e.g., XRD) methods to understand ecosystem element cycles and processes from the molecular to the field scale.

Faculty Programs: Martinez , McBride , Rutzke

Soil Fertility/Plant Nutrition

Assessment of nitrogen and phosphorus cycle processes in agricultural soils with respect to enhancing plant nutrient uptake. Specific research topics include: improve fertilizer N recovery by crops; the functions and dynamics of soil organic matter; appropriate practices for management of soil organic matter.

Faculty Programs: Lehmann

Soil Genesis/Classification/Pedology

Examination of the spatial distribution and variability of soil characteristics in urban and human influenced environments.

Faculty Programs: Russell-Anelli

Soil Ecology, Waste Management & Environmental Microbiology

Assessment of pathogens in composting systems; microbial diversity, and relationships between microbial diversity, environmental characteristics, and ecosystem processes; methods to assess soil biological quality, remediate degraded soils, and improve soil management practices.

Faculty Programs: Buckley , Thies , Bonhotal , Grantham

Soil Microbial Genomics & Evolutionary Biology

Examine the effects of agricultural management practices on soil ecology and soil microbial processes. Microbial diversity, and relationships between microbial diversity, environmental characteristics, and ecosystems processes; the development of soil health diagnostics; the impact of soil microbial diversity and community composition on agroecological function; and the use of environmental genomics to identify factors which impact bacterial population structure in soils at landscape and regional scales.

Faculty Programs: Buckley , Thies

Soil Physics/Environmental Biophysics

Examination of physical soil characteristics that contribute to soil fertility, soil quality, transport and exchange processes in soils. Research topics include: soil physical tests to determine soil health; examination of natural porous media; transport theories; the exchange processes in soils.

Faculty Programs: van Es

Crop Management: Grain, Seed, Forage and Bioenergy

Field experiments to develop management practices that improve forage quality, production, profitability and animal performance; best management practices for corn, soybeans, and other grain crops. Development of grass production and processing for a profitable and environmentally sound source of bioenergy. Evaluation of environmental, biotic, and management interactions that influence the growth, development, yield, and quality of crops. Management of crops for maximum economic returns and minimum soil erosion and nitrate losses with environmentally safe management practices.

Faculty Programs: Cherney , Ryan

Cropping Systems

Development of cover crops by identifying management strategies that maximize their benefits and minimize obstacles to their adoption. Diversifying crop rotations, exploring the impacts of conservation agriculture on soil health, and water management.

Faculty Programs: McDonald , Ryan , Hobbs

Crop Physiology and Molecular Biology

Mechanisms by which drought and other environmental stresses arrest sink-organ development (especially kernels and other storage organs), alter phytohormone levels and modify the expression of gene products involved in stress response and floral/seed set. Mechanisms used to detoxify heavy metals; genes involved in uptake, transport and sequestration of metals and interacting pathways.

Faculty Programs: Setter , Vatamaniuk

Weed Science

Integrated weed management involving ways that biotic and abiotic factors affect weed population and community dynamics, and seed dormancy. Invasive weed biology and biological control measures. Weed control recommendations, herbicide residues and resistant biotypes.

Faculty Programs: DiTommaso

Geospatial Sciences

Processes governing land-atmosphere interactions

Faculty Programs: Sun

Resource Inventory & Analysis

Inventory, spatial analysis, and digital map finishing capabilities for expediting the publication of modern soil surveys and environmental resource inventories in New York and northeastern USA.

Faculty Programs: Grantham , Hoskins

Environmental Modeling & Impact Assessment

Integration and analysis of resource inventory data for use in spatially-explicit models and risk assessments of environmental contamination in mixed use landscapes.

Faculty Programs: Woodbury

Space-Time Statistics

Examination of agronomic and environmental measurements at varying scales through the use of advanced statistical methods, including geostatistics and data mining.

Important notice

This announcement does not contain or constitute an offer of, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for, any securities. There will be no public offer of the securities in any jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor anything contained herein shall form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any offer or commitment whatsoever in any jurisdiction. An investment decision regarding the securities referred to herein should only be made on the basis of the securities prospectus.

This announcement is an advertisement and does not, under any circumstances, constitute a public offering or an invitation to the public in connection with any offer within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129. The final prospectus, when published, will be available on the website of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange ( www.luxse.com ).

The securities referred to herein will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. State security laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the U.S. Securities Act or to, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons.

The tender offer referenced herein is not being made, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, e-mail, facsimile transmission, telephone and the internet) of interstate or foreign commerce, or of any facility of a national securities exchange of the United States and the tender offer cannot be accepted by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility or from within the United States.

Viewing the materials you seek to access may not be lawful in certain jurisdictions. In other jurisdictions, only certain categories of person may be allowed to view such materials. Any person who wishes to view these materials must first satisfy themselves that they are not subject to any local requirements that prohibit or restrict them from doing so.

If you are not permitted to view materials on this webpage or are in any doubt as to whether you are permitted to view these materials, please exit this webpage.

Basis of access

Access to electronic versions of these materials is being made available on this webpage by Bayer in good faith and for information purposes only. Making press announcements and other documents available in electronic format on this webpage does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities issued by Bayer. Further, it does not constitute a recommendation by Bayer, or any other party to buy or sell securities issued by Bayer.

Confirmation of understanding and acceptance of disclaimer

By clicking on the “I AGREE” button, I certify that I am not located in the United States, Australia, Canada, South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction, where access to the materials is prohibited or restricted.

I have read and understood the disclaimer set out above. I understand that it may affect my rights. I agree to be bound by its terms. By clicking on the “I AGREE” button, I confirm that I am permitted to proceed to electronic versions of these materials.

Please confirm your location here:

Disclaimer – important.

The following materials are not directed at or to be accessed by persons located in the United States, Australia, Canada or Japan. These materials do not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States, Australia, Canada or Japan or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.

The securities mentioned herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There will be no public offer of the securities in the United States.

In the United Kingdom the following materials are only directed at (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (ii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). The securities are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the materials or any of their contents.

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Directive 2003/71/EC, and any amendments thereto (the “Prospectus Directive”)(each a “Relevant Member State”), an offer to the public of the securities has not been made and will not be made in such Relevant Member State, except that an offer to the public in such Relevant Member State of any securities may be made at any time under the following exemptions from the Prospectus Directive, if they have been implemented in the Relevant Member State:

• to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive,
• to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, or
• in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive;

provided that no such offer shall result in a requirement to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase any securities, as the same may be varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Relevant Member State, and the expression “Prospectus Directive” includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.

By clicking on the “I AGREE” button, I certify that I am not located in the United States, Australia, Canada or Japan or any other jurisdiction, where access to the materials is prohibited or restricted.

Important Notice

The securities referred to herein will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act" ), or any U.S. State security laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the U.S. Securities Act or to, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons.

This announcement does not contain or constitute an offer of, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for, any securities. There will be no public offer of the securities in any jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor anything contained herein shall form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any offer or commitment whatsoever in any jurisdiction.

The securities referred to herein will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. State security laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the U.S. Securities Act.

This website is intended to provide information to an international audience outside the USA and UK. Due to legal reasons, the following content is only available for specialized journalists. To access these pages, please confirm that you are a medical journalist and that you would like to accredit to the Bayer press portal.

This website is intended to provide information to an international audience outside the UK. Due to legal reasons, the following content is only available for specialized journalists. To access these pages, please confirm that you are a medical journalist and that you would like to accredit to the Bayer press portal.

Researchers with unique ideas on helping farmers protect their crops selected as Bayer 2021 Grants4Ag awardees

24 scientists will receive both financial and scientific support for their crop science research proposal / Successful projects have the potential to become future collaborations with Bayer / Researchers selected from more than 600 proposals representing 39 countries

Monheim, June 2, 2021 - 24 proposals, designed to accelerate precision agriculture, reduce chemicals to enhance soil health or fight pests to preserve biodiversity, make up this year’s Bayer Grants4Ag winners. The successful researchers will receive grants (ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 euros) to fund their projects. Bayer will also pair each winner with one of the company’s own scientists to provide guidance on each project as it progresses. "I was thrilled to have my project chosen!" says microbiologist Vanessa Nessner Kavamura. "As a postdoc scientist, it’s not often that we get to develop our own project, making this a great opportunity to develop my research ideas. Bayer offers a lot of support from its experienced team, and I hope I have some exciting results which could lead to additional future collaborations". Proposals like Kavamura’s, on fighting fungal disease in wheat with microbes, centered around solutions aimed at helping farmers around the world protect their crops. For those researchers selected, Bayer Grants4Ag provides both financial support and scientific guidance to develop their ideas to advance agriculture. For Bayer, those grants could end up as an investment in a larger, longer-term collaborations with the scientist. "Ideas from this year’s winners represent all research and development areas in crop science," says Phil Taylor, Open Innovation Lead for Bayer’s Crop Science Division. "We love the idea that, given support, these research proposals could develop into the next advancement that helps farmers." In partnership with Halo , a partnering platform for scientific innovation, Bayer received more than 600 proposals from 39 countries around the world during a five-week submission window this past fall. Bayer Grants4Ag awardees retain all intellectual property rights to their projects.  2021 Grant4Ag Awardees  • Addie Thompson - Michigan State University • Ana Laura Torres Huerta - Monterey Institute of Technology • Bryan Berger - University of Virginia • Eduardo Rodriguez - Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of Rosario • Elizabeth Skellam - University of North Texas • Enrico Bonello - Ohio State University • Haoyu Niu - University of California, Merced • Ian Henderson - University of Cambridge • Ingrid Span - Heinrich Heine University • Jishnu Bhatt - Penn State University • Maria DeRose - Carleton University • Megan Rúa - Wright State University • Ming-Zhi Zhang - Nanjing Agricultural University • Sigfredo Fuentes - The University of Melbourne • Sivam Krish - GoMicro • Vanessa Nessner Kavamura - Rothamsted Research • Yinghui Mu - South China Agricultural University • Yulia Poroshenko - Agrohub • Yi-Zhen Deng - South China Agricultural University • Yongle Li - University of Adelaide - Waite Campus • Yuxi Zhang - Monash University • Zihau Zhou - China Agricultural University Learn more about the 2021 Grants4Ag awardees and their research . About Halo Halo is a partnering platform where companies and scientists join forces to bring new innovations to market. Through a simple, streamlined RFP process, companies can quickly review proposals with their team, learn about new technologies and cultivate relationships with the scientists behind them. For more passive scouting and brand building, companies can highlight existing research partnerships and technology interests on their innovation page. Since launching in January 2020, PhD scientists and startups across 65 countries and 6 continents have submitted more than a thousand proposals on Halo. To learn more, visit halo.science/sponsors .

About Bayer Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com .

Find more information at www.bayer.com .

Forward-Looking Statements  This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com . The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Sign up for our Newsletter

We will keep you informed about the latest news..

• Research Process
• Manuscript Preparation
• Manuscript Review
• Publication Process
• Publication Recognition

Language Editing Services

• Translation Services

Writing a Scientific Research Project Proposal

• 5 minute read
• 112.8K views

Table of Contents

The importance of a well-written research proposal cannot be underestimated. Your research really is only as good as your proposal. A poorly written, or poorly conceived research proposal will doom even an otherwise worthy project. On the other hand, a well-written, high-quality proposal will increase your chances for success.

In this article, we’ll outline the basics of writing an effective scientific research proposal, including the differences between research proposals, grants and cover letters. We’ll also touch on common mistakes made when submitting research proposals, as well as a simple example or template that you can follow.

What is a scientific research proposal?

The main purpose of a scientific research proposal is to convince your audience that your project is worthwhile, and that you have the expertise and wherewithal to complete it. The elements of an effective research proposal mirror those of the research process itself, which we’ll outline below. Essentially, the research proposal should include enough information for the reader to determine if your proposed study is worth pursuing.

It is not an uncommon misunderstanding to think that a research proposal and a cover letter are the same things. However, they are different. The main difference between a research proposal vs cover letter content is distinct. Whereas the research proposal summarizes the proposal for future research, the cover letter connects you to the research, and how you are the right person to complete the proposed research.

There is also sometimes confusion around a research proposal vs grant application. Whereas a research proposal is a statement of intent, related to answering a research question, a grant application is a specific request for funding to complete the research proposed. Of course, there are elements of overlap between the two documents; it’s the purpose of the document that defines one or the other.

Scientific Research Proposal Format

Although there is no one way to write a scientific research proposal, there are specific guidelines. A lot depends on which journal you’re submitting your research proposal to, so you may need to follow their scientific research proposal template.

In general, however, there are fairly universal sections to every scientific research proposal. These include:

• Title: Make sure the title of your proposal is descriptive and concise. Make it catch and informative at the same time, avoiding dry phrases like, “An investigation…” Your title should pique the interest of the reader.
• Abstract: This is a brief (300-500 words) summary that includes the research question, your rationale for the study, and any applicable hypothesis. You should also include a brief description of your methodology, including procedures, samples, instruments, etc.
• Introduction: The opening paragraph of your research proposal is, perhaps, the most important. Here you want to introduce the research problem in a creative way, and demonstrate your understanding of the need for the research. You want the reader to think that your proposed research is current, important and relevant.
• Background: Include a brief history of the topic and link it to a contemporary context to show its relevance for today. Identify key researchers and institutions also looking at the problem
• Literature Review: This is the section that may take the longest amount of time to assemble. Here you want to synthesize prior research, and place your proposed research into the larger picture of what’s been studied in the past. You want to show your reader that your work is original, and adds to the current knowledge.
• Research Design and Methodology: This section should be very clearly and logically written and organized. You are letting your reader know that you know what you are going to do, and how. The reader should feel confident that you have the skills and knowledge needed to get the project done.
• Preliminary Implications: Here you’ll be outlining how you anticipate your research will extend current knowledge in your field. You might also want to discuss how your findings will impact future research needs.
• Conclusion: This section reinforces the significance and importance of your proposed research, and summarizes the entire proposal.
• References/Citations: Of course, you need to include a full and accurate list of any and all sources you used to write your research proposal.

Common Mistakes in Writing a Scientific Research Project Proposal

Remember, the best research proposal can be rejected if it’s not well written or is ill-conceived. The most common mistakes made include:

• Not providing the proper context for your research question or the problem
• Failing to reference landmark/key studies
• Losing focus of the research question or problem
• Not accurately presenting contributions by other researchers and institutions
• Incompletely developing a persuasive argument for the research that is being proposed
• Misplaced attention on minor points and/or not enough detail on major issues
• Sloppy, low-quality writing without effective logic and flow
• Incorrect or lapses in references and citations, and/or references not in proper format
• The proposal is too long – or too short

Scientific Research Proposal Example

There are countless examples that you can find for successful research proposals. In addition, you can also find examples of unsuccessful research proposals. Search for successful research proposals in your field, and even for your target journal, to get a good idea on what specifically your audience may be looking for.

While there’s no one example that will show you everything you need to know, looking at a few will give you a good idea of what you need to include in your own research proposal. Talk, also, to colleagues in your field, especially if you are a student or a new researcher. We can often learn from the mistakes of others. The more prepared and knowledgeable you are prior to writing your research proposal, the more likely you are to succeed.

One of the top reasons scientific research proposals are rejected is due to poor logic and flow. Check out our Language Editing Services to ensure a great proposal , that’s clear and concise, and properly referenced. Check our video for more information, and get started today.

Research Fraud: Falsification and Fabrication in Research Data

Research Team Structure

You may also like.

Descriptive Research Design and Its Myriad Uses

Five Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Biomedical Research Paper

Making Technical Writing in Environmental Engineering Accessible

To Err is Not Human: The Dangers of AI-assisted Academic Writing

When Data Speak, Listen: Importance of Data Collection and Analysis Methods

Choosing the Right Research Methodology: A Guide for Researchers

Why is data validation important in research?

Writing a good review article

Input your search keywords and press Enter.