All proposals for APSA dissertation improvement grants are required to include:

• proposal summary
• project description and research plan
• other sources of financial support
• professional development plan
• budget and budget justification
• data management plan
• adviser support form
• institutional support form
• research ethics requirement

For a full list and description of required application materials, see here.

Funds are to be used exclusively for direct costs for research activities. Costs that are covered by the APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Travel expenses (e.g. travel to field work or archives, including transportation, lodging, and reasonable travel associated expenses)
• Data collection (e.g. survey costs, payments to research subjects, archival photocopies)
• Research assistance (e.g. translation, transcription, and survey staff)
• Equipment, materials, and supplies (e.g. interview recording equipment, software & necessary office supplies)
• Training (e.g. methods or fieldwork training, training on software or other resources)

Funds are to be used exclusively for direct costs for research activities. Costs that are not covered by the APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant include, but are not limited to, the following:  

• A stipend or salary for the grantee or adviser (note that salaries or payments for work by other individuals whose assistance may be essential to conduct the project may be permitted when there is sound justification for such expenses)
• Indirect costs, also known as facilities and administrative costs, for colleges and universities
• Costs for conference travel (note that grantees will receive $1,000 in direct conference travel reimbursement – see the Grantees section)
• Costs for tuition, textbooks, or other items not directly related to the conduct of dissertation research
• Publication costs for articles based on the dissertation, except when the university’s degree requirements permit the substitution of published research results for a free-standing dissertation
• Costs for travel of the adviser to the field site
• Costs of living (e.g. rent, utilities, etc. at your primary residence)

Grantees are recommended for funding by a panel of experts on the basis of the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact of the proposed dissertation improvement activities. Intellectual Merit will be evaluated based on the project’s potential to advance knowledge and understanding within political science or across fields (including the field of political science), while Broader Impact will be evaluated based on the project’s potential to benefit society more broadly. Both criteria will be considered in the context of their originality and potentially transformative qualities, the organization and pragmatism of the research plan, and value of substantive and methodological diversity in research. APSA staff review the expert panel’s recommendations and total available funding to make the final grantee selection. 

More information on the NSF framework for understanding Broader Impact and Intellectual Merit is available here. 

No. The APSA DDRIG application does not require a letter of recommendation. The application does require that the applicant’s adviser complete and submit the Adviser Support Form. This is done through the application submission system. The applicant will be asked to enter their adviser’s name and email address. The adviser will then receive an email prompting them to upload the completed form.

Applicants should email dissertations@apsanet.org, copy the office(s) and/or individual(s) responsible for completing the form, and provide a timeline for when the completed form(s) will be submitted. These requests must be submitted before the application deadline and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Applicants that have requested and received an approval for a form signature extension should upload placeholder materials missing the required signature to be able to submit the application.

Yes. Proof of exemption/approval OR proof that you have applied for approval/exemption must be provided for each grant-funded research activity that involves human subjects. If you are selected for funding, you will need to provide proof of approval prior to receiving the grant funds.