Research proposals in this context consist of two sections–the introduction and the methods sections.
For geology, typically the introduction includes three sections:
- Literature review
- Research Questions (should be at the end of the literature review)
- Site description
The first two sections are common to most scientific or social science studies. However, many geologic studies also have a field area and the setting needs to be described.
Research Fellow Recommendations for writing are here.
A good resource for writing (we think) is here.
WCU also has an excellent Writing And Learning Commons (WALC). Their writing tips and links can be found here.
The USGS Suggestions to Authors of Reports of the U.S. Geological Survey has some good suggestions about writing, particularly their “Suggestions As to Expression” and “Choosing the Right Word“.
The methods section tells what you have done. It has the following characteristics:
We suggest using the USGS reference standards. They can be found here.