MEKDELA AMBA UNIVERSITY
COMPUTING AND INFORMATICS COLLEGE
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Proposal Writing Guide
Table of Content
1 Style and Formatting.........................................................................................................1
1.1 Fonts...........................................................................................................................1
1.2 Margins and Line Spacing..........................................................................................1
1.3 Pagination...................................................................................................................1
2 Order and Components.....................................................................................................2
3 Descriptions......................................................................................................................3
3.1 Cover Page.................................................................................................................3
3.2 Acknowledgments (optional).....................................................................................3
3.3 Abbreviations.............................................................................................................3
3.4 Table of Contents.......................................................................................................3
3.5 Executive summary(optional)....................................................................................3
3.6 Introduction................................................................................................................4
3.7 Problem Statement.....................................................................................................4
3.8 Objective of the project..............................................................................................4
3.9 Methodology..............................................................................................................5
3.10 Feasibility of the project...........................................................................................5
3.11 Scope of the project..................................................................................................5
3.12 Significance of the project........................................................................................5
3.13 Work plan.................................................................................................................6
3.14 Budget Plan..............................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................6
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1 Style and Formatting
Scientific writing requires consistency in style and format in proposals. Certain rules are
presented below.
1.1 Fonts
All of the narrative in the proposal should be written in 12 point Times New Roman font
size. The cover page of the proposal is presented in 14-point font size. The text in the
cover page will be in bold face font. The first level headings in the proposal will be in 14-
point font size. The first and second level headings are written in bold title case letters,
i.e. the first letter of each major word of the headings is written in upper case letters. All
remaining lower level headings are written in sentence case.
1.2 Margins and Line Spacing
A margin of 1.5″ (3.81cm) on the left is for binding. A margin of 1” (2.54 cm) each on
the right, top and bottom of the page is required. The same margins should be applied to
all pages including those of the figures and tables. The line spacing for all of the narrative
is 1.5 although single line spacing is to be applied to captions of tables and figures. An
extra line (1.5 spacing) is kept between paragraphs above and below all headings,
subheadings and captions. All paragraphs should be in block paragraph format.
1.3 Pagination
Each component of the preliminary section, each chapter of the narrative, the References
and the Appendix must start on a new page. Except for the cover page, every page of the
proposal is assigned a page number. Roman numerals such as i, ii, iii, etc. are used for the
preliminary section from the title page to the page preceding the Introduction. Arabic
numerals such as 1, 2, 3, etc. are used from the first page of the Introduction to the last
page of the Appendix. Center all page numbers at the bottom of the page.
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2 Order and Components
The proposal submitted by a student for a undergraduate is expected to have the
following sections.
1. Cover Page
2. Acknowledgement (optional)
3. Abbreviations
4. Table of Contents
5. Executive summary(optional)
6. Introduction
7. Background of Organization
8. Problem Statement
9. Proposed system
10. Objective of the project
11. Scope of the project
12. Methodology
13. Feasibility project
14. Significant of the project
15. Work plan
16. Budget plan
References
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3 Descriptions
3.1 Cover Page
The cover page should be informative and consist of the names of the university
(Mekdela Amba University), college, department, the title of the project proposal, the
academic degree sought, the name of the graduate student, the advisors name(co-advisor
is optional). The month and year followed by the location are the last items on the cover
page. Title case letters are recommended in the style of writing although the names of the
University and Faculty should be in bold capital.
Title: The title of the project proposal should be clear, specific and concise. The title
should accurately capture and reflect the main theme (objective) of the proposed project.
3.2 Acknowledgments (optional)
The acknowledgments section recognizes the persons and/or institutions the student is
grateful for guidance or assistance received and those to whom the student extends
thanks for special aid or support in the preparation of the proposal.
3.3 Abbreviations
In this section students list in alphabetical order the abbreviations or acronyms followed
by their descriptions in full. In the narrative, each abbreviation/acronym/ other than S.I.
units should be defined in full when they are first used and then followed by their
abbreviation /acronym/ in parentheses. Standard units do not need to be listed.
3.4 Table of Contents
All of the headings and entries in the table of contents should correspond exactly in
wording, font and case with the headings or entries as they appear in the text of the
proposal. Subdivisions of headings should not exceed three levels (e.g.1.4.2).
3.5 Executive summary(optional)
Executive summary should include the background of the project proposal topic,
objectives of the project and the methods to be used in the project. It should be concise
and less than one page in length. This summary should be presented in one single block
paragraph without subtitles or any divisions and without Citation (reference).
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3.6 Introduction
The introduction is the first chapter that is numbered. It provides pertinent background
information and should be as brief as possible. Ideally, it should not exceed three pages
in length. The introduction includes brief background and clear statement of the problem,
nature, symptoms, and extent of the problem and variables influencing the problem, thus
leading to a clear set of project objectives.
3.7 Problem Statement
The problem statement is one of the most important components of your project. In 180-
250(Recommended) words you need to convince the reader that this project MUST be
done(or HAD to be done). Society or one of its institutions has some pressing problem
that needs(needed) closer examination. The project will answer(answered) some part of
this serious problem in a unique and clever way.
The problem statement describes the context for the project and it also identifies the
general analysis approach. A problem might be defined as the issue that exists in the
literature, theory, or practice that leads to a need for the project.
It is important in a proposal that the problem stand out that the reader can easily
recognize it. Effective problem statements answer the question “why does this project
need to be conducted”.
3.8 Objective of the project
To get right solution of right problem, clearly defined objectives are very important. The
objectives of a project summarize what is to be achieved by the project. Objective should
be closely related to the statement of the problem. Objective is a purpose that can be
reasonably achieved within the expected time frame and with the available resources.
General objective: are broad goals to be achieved. The general objectives of the project
state what the project expects to achieve by the project in general terms. General
objectives can be broken down into small logically connected parts to form specific
objectives. General objective is met through accomplishing the entire specific objective.
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Specific objectives: are short terms and narrow in focus. The specific objectives are
more in number and they systematically address various aspects of problem as defined
under the statement of the problem.
3.9 Methodology
It describes precisely what will be done and how it will be done, what data will be
recorded, the proposed tools or instruments to be used in data collection and the methods
of analyzing the data.
In this chapter, the student should give clear, specific, appropriate and credible
procedures that will be followed to attain the proposed objectives of the project. The
project design planned for use should be clearly stated. The project methods should be
appropriate to the problem area, i.e., the statement of the problem, and the objective. The
student should also address functional and non-functional requirement, and the methods
of requirement collection, data quality control and methods of data analysis.
3.10 Feasibility of the project
The feasibility analysis section of your project document is crucial for assessing whether
your proposed project is viable and achievable within the constraints of your program.
This section should comprehensively evaluate various aspects including technical,
operational, economic, legal, and scheduling feasibility.
3.11 Scope of the project
One of the first tasks of a project team is defining the scope of a project, i.e., its area
(theme, field) and the amount of information to be included. Narrowing the scope of your
Project can be time-consuming. Paradoxically, the more you limit the scope, the more
interesting it becomes. This is because a narrower scope lets you clarify the problem and
project it at greater depth.
3.12 Significance of the project
The Significance of the project describes what contribution your project will make to the
broad literature or set of broad educational problems upon completion. In this activity,
you will draft your Significance of the project by determining what you hope will benefit
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others and/or how readers will benefit or learn from your project. This part is tell how the
problem would be beneficial to society and specific person.
3.13 Work plan
The student assigns time frames for the completion of various activities of the proposed
project. The work plan can be presented in the form of a Gant chart or a table. Only major
activities for accomplishing the specific project and corresponding time frames should be
included in the Gant chart or table.This time table predicts the duration of each step and
the overall project. The purpose of the work plan is to show that you have thought
carefully through what needs to be done, and how and when it will be done. In practice,
you will almost certainly need to modify the plan as the work proceeds, but establishing a
plan from the outset can help you foresee and avoid potential difficulties.
3.14 Budget Plan
This involves first discussing and then listing, in a series of separate tables, the necessary
and required personnel, days required to conduct project, transportation costs,
supervision, equipment, stationery, expendable project supplies and materials, laboratory
analysis and any associated services for the project. Item costs should be reasonable and
reflect a fair and current market price.
References
The references chapter must include all works cited in the project proposal. All citations
appearing in the narrative of the proposal must be included in the references chapter and
vice versa. Do not add references list which is not cited in the narrative. In-text citations
and references should carefully follow the IEEE style with hanging indent by 0.4’’.
