Building the Qualitative and Mixed Methods Community

Advanced Doctoral Student Dissertation Fellowship Award Preparation

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Contact: crge@umd.edu

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Collaborative Project of the Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity (CRGE)

CRGE is an interdisciplinary research center which promotes intersectional scholarship through original research, mentoring, and collaboration. CRGE promotes work that explores the intersections of race, gender, ethnicity, class and other dimensions of inequality as they shape the construction and representation of identities, behavior and complex social power relations in the United States. 

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Qualitative Research Interest Group (QRIG)

QRIG is a working group composed of faculty and graduate students who are engaged in enhancing knowledge and the use of qualitative methods in research and teaching.

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• QRIG seeks to elevate the profile of qualitative methodologies through:
• Programs designed to facilitate collaborative research and inquiry.
• Lecture series showcasing important and path-breaking qualitative scholarship.
• Workshop panels on qualitative methods

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• QRIG creates opportunities for cross-disciplinary discussion and exchange focused on the use of qualitative methodologies in analyzing intersectional dimensions of inequality in the United States.

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About the Award

• Award Amount: $500-$2,500
• Award amounts will depend on the number and quality of grants approved. �
• Fund Uses:
• Research equipment (e.g., Recorders)
• Transcription
• Data analysis software (e.g., NVivo or Atlas TI), 
• Data analysis training (e.g., NVivo workshop), 
• Qualitative program consultant, or editor. �
• Funds CANNOT be used for:
• Travel for data collection
• Participant incentives

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Eligibility for �Advanced Doctoral Student

Emphasis is placed on dissertations that employ the intersections of race, gender, class, ethnicity, and other dimensions of structural inequalities as they affect the lived experiences of individuals or groups and shape the construction of complex social relations in U.S. society. 

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All studies need to identify basic demographic characteristics of the multiple-layered identities under study, such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, nativity, parental education, etc. as these factors are strongly associated with lived experiences.

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Eligibility for �Advanced Doctoral Student

Applicants must have:

• Successfully defended the dissertation proposal by November 18, 2024 and completed data collection by December 15, 2024. 
• A letter from dissertation chair confirming advanced doctoral candidate status.
• Conducted a dissertation where the primary focus of the data collection is on the meaning of events in the lives of study participants (i.e., an interpretative approach) rather than collecting only data that measure the frequency of events (i.e., a survey approach).
• Completed the CITI training in Social/Behavioral research with human subjects. 
• Secured prior Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for dissertation study. 
• A commitment to the mission and vision of CRGE. 

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Application Requirements for �Advanced Doctoral Students

1. An abstract of 150 words or less.
2. A proposal (brief description of the dissertation study, see guiding questions under Application Preparation Guidelines), no longer than five (5) pages in length (with 12-point font).
• It should be addressed to “non-specialists.” 
3. List of References/Works Cited included in your proposal. 
4. A justified budget that proposes funding of a sum between $500 and $2,500 by stating what funds will be used for and why. Funds may be used for direct research costs related to qualitative data analysis.
• Award amounts will depend on the number and quality of awards approved. 
5. Timeline for completing and defending the dissertation.
6. Letter of support from dissertation chair confirming the approval of the dissertation proposal and the completion of data collection.
7. Current CV.
8. Current IRB approval letter for the dissertation project.
9. Copy of certificate for CITI Human Subjects Research Training completion.

Human Subjects Requirement

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We strongly suggest that your Human Subjects application be submitted in a timely manner, since IRB approval for the study is a requirement for the proposal submission and release of funds.

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Preparation Guidelines: Tips and Hints

Provide a clear roadmap of your thinking and strategies to conduct your dissertation.

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• Tell a good research story
• Brief overview of project.
• Explain the intellectual question you plan to engage. 
• Briefly summarize current knowledge in the field, based on a review of the literature. 
• Significance
• Explain why this question is important.
• What are the intellectual debates in your field that are relevant to this proposed study?
• Why is your project innovative? Briefly summarize.
• Identify your long-term career goals after completing the dissertation. Please identify expected publications from the dissertation. 

Research Design & Methods

Describe who, what, when, where, and how you conducted and collected data for the dissertation research.

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• Clearly describe the basic demographic characteristics of the participant sample, data collection procedures, and analytic processes.
• Does your plan relate directly to the aims you have described?
• Explain why the proposed qualitative method was the best methodological option to accomplish study goals.
• Describe potential challenges and suggest alternative strategies for success.
• Did you experience any difficulties with data collection? Explain how you addressed them.  

Title: First Impression of Your Application

• Descriptive, Specific, Appropriate
• Avoid unnecessary words: “a study of an investigation into” instead “this study examines”
• Study titles that have been funded (see Past Awardees here):
• New Meanings, New Identities: Egyptian Rural Women, Television and Social Change

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• Queering Philanthropy: Understanding Alumni Giving in LGBTQ Communities

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Budget Example for �Advanced Doctoral Students

Post Award Requirements

• Submit a brief research report at the beginning of Spring 2025 semester outlining the progress of the dissertation.

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• Present the dissertation research as part of the Qualitative Research Interest Group Panel —usually 1 year after award, Spring 2026.

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• Acknowledge this award in all future publications. 

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QRIG Timeline

*Application should be emailed as ONE PDF document