Dissertation Support

Questions and Responses

Below are all questions that have been submitted in regard to the Request for Applications (RFA) for Dissertation Support that was released by the National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response in Child Protective Services (QIC-DR) on October 2, 2009.

All questions are answered and posted on a biweekly basis by the QIC-DR staff. Questions received by 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Monday of the posting week will be posted by Friday of that week. The final posting for the current round of applications will be on June 25, 2010. The last day to submit questions is Monday, June 21, 2010. You may submit questions by emailing them to qicdr@americanhumane.org.

June 17, 2010

Question:

I'm working with a doctoral candidate interested in applying for your doctoral dissertation fellowship program. Are awards made directly to the applicant, or to the applicant’s university? We're trying to determine whether our candidate’s proposal would need to be reviewed by our sponsored projects office prior to submission. The need for the lobbying certification and other assurances, as well as the financial reports, would suggest to me that the award is made to the institution, but I just want to double check.

Response:

The award is made directly to the student, not the institution.

June 15, 2010

Question:

For the three attachments that need a signature from the applicant (Contact Information Form, Application Certification and Certification Regarding Lobbying), and for the letter of support from the applicant’s chair, are electronic signatures acceptable?

Response:

Yes, electronic signatures are acceptable.

Question:

For electronic submission, I was planning to save the documents in a PDF file. Would you prefer one file for the entire application (compiled in the order described in Section 9.0 in the RFA), or would you prefer separate documents? In Section 9.0 in the RFA, there are five sections listed. Would you prefer a PDF file for each section?

Response:

Separate sections would be helpful, but are not necessary.

Question:

Currently, my name is on the header of each page of my dissertation proposal. Does any part of this application process involve a blind review? Should I remove my name and identifying information from my approved dissertation proposal or any other parts of the application (such as the narrative description)?

Response:

The review is not blind inasmuch as reviewers will be assessing the complete package of materials from each applicant; therefore, it is not necessary to remove your name from the dissertation proposal or other parts of the application.

June 9, 2010

Question:

For the references, the RFA states to include the reference’s name, address, phone number, email address and brief description of how the reference knows the applicant’s work. To clarify then, after I speak with three people who agree to be a reference for me, is it sufficient for me to write up this information and include this in the attachment? Or are you requesting letters of reference from these three people?

Response:

The RFA states: “Each reference shall include the person’s name, address, phone number, email address, and brief descriptive information about the nature of the work with which the reference is familiar.” You are welcome to also include letters of reference, but they are not required. The reviewers will contact the references.

Question:

The upcoming deadline states applications are to be submitted before July 1, 2010. If we plan to submit the proposal electronically, should we plan to submit the proposal no later than 5:00 pm Mountain Time on June 30, 2010?

Response:

The RFA states that applications must be received by that time, so you may not want to cut it too close, in case you run into any problems with emailing your application. The RFA states: “Applicants bear all risks associated with delays in the U.S. mail or electronic mailing systems. The review of applications received after the deadlines will be at the sole discretion of the QIC-DR.”

April 2, 2010

Question:

It says that the proposal must address IRB approval processes. Is addressing human subjects issues in the proposal enough, or do applicants have to have an IRB application (and/or approval) before their NQIC funding application?

Response:

Although Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications and approvals are not necessary prior to applying for dissertation funding, please include a clear plan to develop an IRB application. The dissertation proposal should include a discussion of plans for the IRB process.

March 19, 2010

Question:

I am hoping to apply for the award by the July 1, 2010, deadline. I noticed in the RFA that only two awards will be given each year. Is there a way to find out how many awards are given in the first round of 2010, for those that applied by January 15? If two awards are given, will you still review applications in July?

Response:

No awards were given in the first round of 2010, and we will be considering one or more awards for the second round in July 2010.

Feb. 26, 2010

Question:

I would most likely use data from Los Angeles County, California, for my dissertation. According to the criteria set forth in the RFA and in the 2009 Literature Review, California's response pathway is not considered differential response. Would a proposal for the dissertation support be accepted for review if I used data from Los Angeles County?

Response:

Yes, such a proposal would be considered. While the QIC-DR literature review does not consider the California response pathway approach as one that meets all the primary definitional criteria, it is recognized as a systemic model that meets many of the criteria. For this reason, and because a goal of the dissertation RFA is to support innovative work, dissertation research that incorporates broader definitions of differential response is eligible for consideration under this RFA.

Question:

Is there any restriction on recipient’s additional income through teaching or research?

Response:

No. There is no restriction on earning additional income.

Dec. 11, 2009

Question:

I am a Ph.D. student in the field of social welfare, and am writing my dissertation about the effects of noncustodial fathers' incarceration on single-mother families' contact with child protection services. I am also interested in the variations of such effects depending on child welfare agencies (and their different handling of the reported CPS cases). In order to examine my research questions, I use state administrative data. I considered applying for the grant sponsored by the National Quality Improvement Center, but I found the selection criteria includes an approved dissertation proposal. I am working on my dissertation proposal and expect to have a dissertation proposal defense in February. I wonder whether I could be eligible to apply for the grant (for which the application deadline is Jan. 15).

Response:

Your dissertation research sounds promising, and may be relevant to the research focus of the National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response. Regrettably, applicants are required to have their dissertation proposals approved by their committees as part of their submissions. The rolling application process allows applicants to submit their proposals throughout the year. if you cannot meet the Jan. 15, 2010, application due date, applications for the next grant review cycle will be due on or before July 1, 2010, and awarded on Sept. 1, 2010.

Oct. 28, 2009

Question:

I am currently pre-proposal, but expect to have a proposal hearing in January 2010. My question is, do I have to have an approved proposal before the submission deadline of January 15, 2010, or before the submissions are reviewed in March 2010?

Response:

Applicants are required to have their dissertation proposal approved by their committee as part of their submission. The rolling application process allows applicants to submit their proposals throughout the year, and successful applications for the next grant review cycle will be awarded on Sept. 1, 2010, if you cannot meet the Jan. 15, 2010, application due date.

Question:

I am working on my Doctorate on secondary science education. My goal is to redesign how science is taught in the high risk school that I am teaching. Currently I am studying what is called "problem based" learning where the students, through solving a problem, are able to construct their own learning. The educational theorists I am using are Vygotsky, Brunner and Piaget. I am wondering if there is grant money available from your organization towards my doctoral work, since I teach in a high risk, high poverty public school.

Response:

While we value highly the efforts of doctoral students in their field of research, especially in our vulnerable and at-risk communities and schools, we believe that your research focus may not be a fit for the substantive scope of this Request for Applications (RFA) for Doctoral Dissertations, which is specific to the program of differential response in child protective services.

We urge all potential applicants to familiarize themselves with the Literature Review issued by the National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response in Child Protective Services (QIC-DR), available at http://www.differentialresponseqic.org/assets/docs/qic-dr-lit-review-sept-09.pdf. Potential applicants should also better acquaint themselves with the RFA, http://www.differentialresponseqic.org/assets/docs/rfa-doctoral-dissertations.pdf, especially Sections 1.0 Statement of Purpose, 3.0 Project Focus, 6.0 Problem Statement, and 7.0 QIC-DR Project Description.

Question:

My area of interest is in school violence, using secondary data set for my dissertation. Would this be appropriate for the funding?

Response:

While we applaud the efforts of doctoral students in the larger field of educational research, especially in our schools, we believe that your research in school violence would be outside of the substantive scope of this RFA in the area of differential response in child protective services.

We urge all potential applicants to familiarize themselves with the Literature Review issued by the QIC-DR, available at http://www.differentialresponseqic.org/assets/docs/qic-dr-lit-review-sept-09.pdf. Potential applicants should also better acquaint themselves with the RFA for Doctoral Dissertations, http://www.differentialresponseqic.org/assets/docs/rfa-doctoral-dissertations.pdf, especially Sections 1.0 Statement of Purpose, 3.0 Project Focus, 6.0 Problem Statement, and 7.0 QIC-DR Project Description.

Question:

What is the age range for the grant? I am examining the impact cyber-bullying has on academic, social, and emotional college adjustment. Majority of the participants are 18-24. My assumption is that you are seeking a younger target population.

Response:

There is not a precise, specified age range of study participants, but we are more likely to be interested in a somewhat younger target population that is currently, or had been previously, in contact with the child welfare system as part of a differential response approach by a child welfare agency. However, while we believe that your interests in cyber-bullying and college student adjustment constitutes timely research, we think that your research would be outside of the substantive scope of this RFA in the area of differential response in child protective services.

Question:

Is the funding limited to domestic students or are international students eligible as well?

Response:

We believe that international students would be eligible for this award should they satisfy all the same selection and eligibility requirements as with domestic students. These awards are tax-exempt for doctoral students and are not considered compensation, but we urge you to consult with a qualified tax professional. These awards may be given to international doctoral students, but are not intended for international research. All research is to be conducted in the area of differential response in child protective services within the United States and U.S. territories.

Oct. 16, 2009

Question:

Can you please provide me with more information on integrating my research with the demonstration site evaluation?

Response:

As a first step, we would urge all potential applicants to review and familiarize themselves with the Research and Demonstration Request for Applications (RFA) issued by the National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response in Child Protective Services (QIC-DR), available at this web address: http://www.differentialresponseqic.org/

Once the applications are awarded to sites, they will be posted on the website along with contact information and descriptions of the proposed efforts. At that point, if you are interested in working with a particular site’s evaluation team as part of a dissertation research effort, we would urge you to contact the site evaluator or director to determine if your interests coincide. If both parties (applicant and site director) are agreeable and an appropriate research plan can be developed as part of your dissertation proposal, then you will need to request a letter from the site’s director outlining your plan and include that as part of your application in response to the Doctoral Dissertations RFA.

If an award is made based on your proposal, then QIC-DR staff will be available to help facilitate and provide appropriate technical support in working with the site pertaining to the proposed dissertation research.