How to Eat a Whale - Things Never Told About Grant Writing in Graduate School

Abstract

Melinda Mae eating her whale well depicts the novice faculty member incorporating grant writing and research into the faculty role. The faculty role is often described as an integration of teaching, research, publication, and community service. But if one is teaching in an undergraduate program, the research role integration may seem like eating two whales instead of one! An important aspect of the research process is the submission of the research proposal for funding. In hopes that it will not take 89 years to conquer the research whale, I will present some laws for the beginning researcher regarding the submission of a proposal for funding. I selected the word "laws" with much care. According to Dubin (1969), a law is a generalization from observable facts that are representative of outward conditions. A law is not based on chance coincidence. After talking with experienced research colleagues who expressed many of the same learnings, it seemed that the word "law" was appropriate for labeling these factors.