Research Proposals - Budget Development - Proposal Development - Essay Writing Nursing Assignment Help

Assignment Task:

Novice investigators may be intimidated by the task of proposal budget preparation. Often a basic understanding of the mechanics of budgeting, paired with a good working relationship with the institution’s sponsored programs office, can alleviate much of the stress investigators encounter in developing budgets. Careful attention to the detailed inclusive costs of conducting the proposed study combined with awareness of university and agency budget requirements is essential. This article describes strategies for developing a budget for a research proposal.

Preparing a research proposal budget may seem a daunting task to a nov- ice or even an experienced nurse researcher. Formal academic research train- ing commonly includes years of instruction in theory development, statistical analysis, and developing methodological techniques, but it rarely includes budget preparation education (Bergstrom & Baun, 1994). Development of a research proposal budget is intertwined with the development of the project’s timeline and methodology to achieve the proposed project aims. This article describes a method for developing a research proposal budget.

BUDGET DEVELOPMENT 

The investigator should begin considering the project’s budget when the scope, duration, and significance issues of the project are contemplated. Generally, as the scope of a project expands, so does the budget (Ingersoll & Eberhard, 1999). Funding agencies often state a budget limit for applica- tions. When the funding agency does not provide a limit, the principal inves- tigator may examine the range of funding over previous award cycles to determine the customary budget range supported by that agency. 

The initial draft of the proposal budget can be prepared following com- pletion of the first draft of the proposed methodology, although budget con- siderations should be kept in mind when preparing the first draft of the Method section. For example, in making the decision to adopt a specific method of measuring a variable, one should consider the cost of the method as well as the sensitivity and specificity of the particular measure. The inves- tigator should adopt the measure that operationalizes the variable with suffi- cient accuracy to address the research questions. For example, body compo- sition is a common variable examined in nursing research at considerably highly variable costs. An investigator examining this variable may select from skin fold measurement, underwater weighing, or whole body DEXA scanning. The decision to use a particular method should be balanced between the specificity required to address the research question and the cost of the particular measurement method. The cost of other components of the research plan should similarly be considered when developing the proposal. 

It is important to ensure consistency between the budget and the proposed methods. The methods are often revised multiple times prior to sub- mission. For example, sample size evolves as research questions are revised, new measures are added, and power analyses are calculated. Repeated examination of the budget for consistency with the methods is essential. The budget justification narrative, required by most agencies, is an important opportunity to describe exactly how budget items will be used to complete the study. Information about costs incurred in preliminary or pilot work can provide evidence for the budget justification. A detailed participant protocol, perhaps developed from preliminary or pilot work, that specifies exactly what will happen with each participant is helpful to ensure that important expenses are not overlooked (e.g., participant travel expenses, resources to phone participants to confirm appointments, costs to purchase questionnaires).

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