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Abstract

A proposal presents a strategy for solving a problem. Giving specific advice about writing proposals is difficult because proposals vary so much. Proposals range from thousand-page reports to one-page forms. Some proposals are solicited by clients bent on solving a specific problem; others involve audiences who are unaware that a problem even exists. In addition to differences in format and audience, the writing situations vary as well. Some proposals are individually written; others are collaborative efforts involving large teams of scientists, engineers, managers, and accountants. Finally, the subject matter of proposals varies greatly—from designing bridges to exploiting genetic weaknesses in a virus.

I don’t mind your thinking slowly, but I do mind your publishing faster than you think.

—Wolfgang Pauli

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© 1996 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Alley, M. (1996). Writing Proposals. In: The Craft of Scientific Writing. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2482-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2482-0_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-94766-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2482-0

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