SOCIOLOGY PROGRAM - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards | 18 577

NSF Sociology Program DDRI (Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards) FAQs

1) What is the NSF Sociology Program DDRI opportunity?

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Sociology Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards (DDRI) opportunity supports projects that strengthen and improve the execution of doctoral dissertation research in sociology. It is intended to improve the quality and feasibility of scientifically sound dissertation research that contributes to generalizable sociological knowledge.

2) What is the main purpose of this award?

The core purpose is to support basic research on human social organization and social change. The program emphasizes research that is theoretically grounded and empirically oriented, and it prefers work that advances explanations of fundamental social processes rather than narrowly descriptive studies.

3) What kinds of sociology topics does the program support?

The program is broadly inclusive across sociological topics. Examples mentioned include:

• Organizations and organizational behavior
• Population dynamics and demographic processes
• Social movements
• Labor force participation
• Stratification and mobility
• Family processes
• Social networks
• Socialization
• Research on gender, race, and the sociology of science and technology

4) Who is this funding intended for?

The opportunity targets dissertation projects led by doctoral students enrolled at U.S. institutions of higher education. The description indicates the intent to support doctoral dissertation research conducted by doctoral students at U.S. institutions, generally submitted in coordination with a principal investigator (PI) at the institution, consistent with NSF dissertation award practices.

5) Is this a general fellowship or stipend?

No. The award is framed as an improvement grant. That means the funding is intended to cover direct research-related expenses that materially improve the dissertation project, rather than serving as a general stipend or broad program support.

6) What types of costs are described as allowable or appropriate uses of funds?

Examples of allowable support described in the announcement include:

• Acquiring datasets
• Obtaining additional statistical or methodological training
• Travel to consult with scholars linked to original datasets
• Supporting fieldwork conducted away from the student’s home campus

7) Does the program support original data collection, secondary data analysis, or both?

Both. The program supports original data collection and secondary data analysis.

8) What methods are welcomed in DDRI proposals?

The announcement explicitly welcomes the full range of quantitative and qualitative methods.

9) Are methodological innovations encouraged?

Yes. The program encourages proposals that offer methodological innovations or improvements in how data are collected or analyzed, as long as the methods are tied to theoretically motivated sociological questions.

10) What does NSF mean by "theoretically grounded" and "empirically oriented" in this context?

Based on the program description, competitively positioned projects clearly connect the research questions to sociological theory and also rely on empirical observation (or can be empirically validated or illustrated). In practice, this means proposals should explain how the theory motivates the questions and how data and analysis will be used to test, validate, or illustrate the claims.

11) How are proposals evaluated?

Proposals are evaluated using NSF’s two agency-wide review criteria: intellectual merit and broader impacts.

12) What intellectual merit elements does the Sociology Program emphasize for competitiveness?

For intellectual merit, the Sociology Program highlights four elements that are especially important:

• The research questions must be clearly grounded in theory.
• The project must rely on empirical observation or be able to be empirically validated or illustrated.
• The research design must fit the questions being asked.
• The expected results must advance understanding of social processes, social structures, or sociological methods.

13) What kind of research does the program prefer to fund?

Across the topic areas it supports, the program preference is for research that advances explanation of fundamental social processes. The description contrasts this with narrowly descriptive studies, suggesting that proposals should go beyond description to contribute to sociological explanation and generalizable knowledge.

14) What is the role of the research design in a competitive proposal?

The program states that the research design must fit the questions being asked. In other words, the proposed data, methods, and analytical strategy should be appropriate for answering the central research questions in a credible way, and the proposal should make that fit clear.

15) Does the opportunity mention how many awards are expected?

Yes. The source record includes an expectation of around 35 awards.

16) What is the opportunity number and recorded closing date shown in the listing?

The source record lists opportunity number 18-577 and an original closing date of October 29, 2018.

17) What does the listing say about the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The listing notes an award ceiling of 0. The record indicates this typically means the ceiling was not specified in that particular record extract, rather than implying that awards have no funding.

18) What type of federal award is this and what is the CFDA number?

Administratively, this opportunity is described as a discretionary NSF grant in the science and technology research and development category, with CFDA 47.075.

19) How is eligibility described in the record, and what clarification is provided?

Eligibility is summarized as “Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).” However, the program description makes clear the intent to support doctoral dissertation research conducted by doctoral students at U.S. institutions, generally submitted in coordination with a PI at the institution.

20) What kinds of dissertation improvements does this program specifically aim to enable?

The stated aim is to fund direct research-related expenses that materially improve the dissertation project and make it more feasible and scientifically strong. The examples given (datasets, training, consultation travel, and off-campus fieldwork support) illustrate improvements that expand access to data, strengthen methods, and enable necessary research activities.