JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH 1992;13:174

ANNOUNCEMENT

Consultation for Researc Proposals

The Journal of Adolescent Health is offering a service of reviewing research proposals/protocols of young or beginning investigators planning to conduct re- search in the area of adolescent health. The purpose of this service is to provide specific and detailed feedback to investigators in the areas of theory con- struction, hypothesis development, research de- sign, and statistical analysis prior to the initiation of data collection. Although the major objective of this program is to improve the quality of research in ad- olescent health, the researchers will not be under obligation to submit the final manuscript to the Jour- nal. Likewise, the Journal will not be obligated to accept such a manuscript. The following format used by the Public Health Service is suggested for pro- posals. All proposals should be double spaced and conform to JAC styles and standards.

Research Plan

Organize Sections A-D of the Research Plan to answer these questions. (A) What do you intend to do? (8) Why is the work important? (C) What has already been done? (D) How are you going to do the work? You may use any page distribution within this overall limitation; however, the Journal rec- ommends the following format and distribution:

A. Specific Aims. State the broad, long-term objec- tives and describe concisely and realistically what the specific research described in this application is intended to accomplish and what hypotheses are to be tested. Two pages are recommended.

B. Background and Significance. Briefly sketch the background to the present proposal, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps which the project is intended to fill. Describe the theoretical basis or model that the hypotheses or specific aims are derived from. State concisely the importance of the research

described in this application by relating the spe- cific aims to the broad, long-term objectives. Four to six pages are recommended.

C. Preliminary Studies. Use this section to provide an account of the principal investigator’s or pro- gram director’s preliminary studies pertinent to the application and/or any other information that will help to establish the experience and com- petence of the investigator to pursue the pro- posed project. One to five pages are recommended for the narrative portion of the Preliminary Studies.

D. Experimental Design and Methods. Outline the experimental design and the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the proj- ect. Include the means by which the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Describe any new methods and their advantages over ex- isting methods. Discuss the potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and describe alternative approaches to achieve the aims. Include any questionnaires or other data collection instruments in an appendix. Include examples of or references for any standardized scales or instruments to be used. Provide a ten- tative sequence or timetable for the investigation. Although no specific number of pages is rec- ommended for this section of the application, the total for Sections A-D should not exceed 30 pages.

Submit three copies of the proposal to: Robert H. DuRant, Ph.D. Section of General Pediatrics and Adolescent

Medicine Department of Pediatrics CE-112 Medical College of Georgia Augusta, GA 30912

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0 Society for Adolescent Medicirxe, 1992 Published by Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010