Complexity Explorer Santa Few Institute

UCR Project Abstract (due Tuesday, June 20, 2023)

If you have not written a research abstract before or if you are looking for a structure, we provide the following guidelines. They are only guidelines! You are welcome to adjust the structure and content to most effectively describe your proposed project. Regardless, please do not exceed 320 words.

NOTE: Your project is likely to change over the summer as things work or don’t work or as you discover unexpected directions for the project. This is fine. The proposed project abstract represents your starting point, but the project is free to evolve.

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General Abstract Outline

[BACKGROUND] A few (3–5) sentences that describe:

• [PROBLEM/QUESTION] The general problem/question that you want to solve/ understand/ answer/ develop theory for
• [IMPORTANCE] Why the problem/question is important
• [STATE OF THE FIELD] What is already known about the problem/question that is important background for your project
• [WHY NOT?] Why the problem/question has not already been solved/ understood/ answered

The order of background elements is flexible, so use whatever works for your project.

 

[PROJECT GOAL]  One sentence that states specifically what you hope to solve/understand/answer with your project. (Often starts with something like “Here we will show…” or “In this work, we aim to…”)

 

[SPECIFIC AIMS]  One sentence each per specific aim of your project that indicates the hypothesis or specific question you will test, or the argument you will make, and the approach you will use. Usually projects have two or three specific aims, but this is very project-dependent.

PS - This part is often the most difficult. The tricky part is deciding what constitutes a single aim. What may help is to think about it as the smallest unit that provides an answer to a question you have posed.

 

[BROADER IMPACT] One or two sentences that provide an outlook about what this research means for the broader question you posed at the beginning, or for understanding other areas of science or society