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Worksheets are based on THE GRANT WRITING GUIDE: A Road Map for Scholars by Betty S. Lai.
Copyright © 2023 by Princeton University Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.
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The Literature Review
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StructurePromptsBrainstorming
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A. Significant area.State again why the problem matters. You covered this in the one pager, but opening again with significant area in your literature review keeps reviewers oriented to why your work matters.
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B. Paint a worldview.Quickly narrow reviewers' focus to one way of understanding the significant area you scoped.p. 110 of The Grant Writing Guide.
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C. Pain point.Point out the problems with the worldview. How does it limit us? How have we fallen short in realizing this worldview?

Consider using words like however, yet, despite, but, although, or it's not clear.
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D. Best solution.What's the best way to resolve the pain point? This solution needs to match your one pager.
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E. Build from past research.How are you building from past work? State connections clearly.

You'll often have multiple paragraps making this case.		*Tip: Sometimes it helps to organize the ways you build from past research (i.e., your "E" arguments) to match your aims.

Ex: Existing translations of The Aeneid are outdated and fail to consider the role of the ocean. [In the paragraph, give evidence of this.] Thus, in Aim 1, I will retranslate The Aeneid from a modern perspective and evaluate the role of the ocean.
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F. Focus on mechanisms and processes.Why do you expect certain outcomes? What is missing in the literature to resolve the problems you've identified?
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G. Guidance on benefits.Be explicit about benefits.
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H. Takeaway message.Summarize your work and the key message.
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