Research Proposal Research Articles

Enhancing multi-sectoral collaborations for the prevention and control of NCDs in Thailand with a new approach

BackgroundTo achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, Thailand must engage in effective multi-sectoral collaboration (MSC). However, implementing MSC in Thailand presents significant challenges. Although Thailand had a 2011–2020 MSC strategic plan for the control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with the prime minister taking the lead, joined by many non-health ministers, not a single meeting was called over those 10 years. This paper describes the development of a new tool created to enhance MSC between health and non-health sectors in controlling NCDs in Thailand. Stakeholder-engaged research will be used to implement and evaluate this tool. This paper also describes the research planned to test the new approach.MethodsThe authors used two main methods: (1) a narrative review on MSC enhancement and (2) a series of four consultation meetings with key stakeholders – in the health, non-health and academic sectors – to develop a research study to implement and evaluate the new approach.ResultsTo address previous MSC implementation problems, the proposed novel MSC enhancement approach emphasizes three principles: (1) pursuit of committed-stakeholder involvement at the middle-management level, instead of relying on the top-management level, an approach which has never been successful; (2) production of knowledge to support specific, achievable target policies; and (3) use of a comprehensive set of knowledge-translation activities and knowledge brokers to solve the problem of ineffective routine official communications between members of the MSC. Using participatory consultations during the research proposal development, middle-level officials from three non-health ministries (the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Education) agreed to join the MSC to work together to solve specific problems regarding the control of NCDs. A target-advocated policy for each ministry was formulated and agreed upon by both non-health-sector and health-sector stakeholders.ConclusionsThis new approach (middle-management oriented), if implemented, may encourage more commitment from the Ministries’ representatives, policy-relevant knowledge generation and effective communications between ministries involved in an MSC. Ideally, it would complement the conventional approach (top-management oriented) in enhancing the MSC for controlling NCDs, and thereby bring hope for achieving the NCD-related SDGs for Thailand and possibly other countries as well.

Leveraging AI and Data Visualization for Enhanced Policy-Making: Aligning Research Initiatives with Sustainable Development Goals

Scientists, research institutions, funding agencies, and policy-makers have all emphasized the need to monitor and prioritize research investments and outputs to support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unfortunately, many current and historic research publications, proposals, and grants were not categorized against the SDGs at the time of submission. Manual post hoc classification is time-consuming and prone to human biases. Even when classified, few tools are available to decision makers for supporting resource allocation. This paper aims to develop a deep learning classifier for categorizing research abstracts by the SDGs and a decision support system for research funding policy-makers. First, we fine-tune a Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) model using a dataset of 15,488 research abstracts from authors at leading Brazilian universities, which were preprocessed and balanced for training and testing. Second, we present a PowerBI dashboard that visualizes classifications for supporting informed resource allocation for sustainability-focused research. The model achieved an F1-score, precision, and recall exceeding 70% for certain classes and successfully classified existing projects, thereby enabling better tracking of Agenda 2030 progress. Although the model is capable of classifying any text, it is specifically optimized for Brazilian research due to the nature of its fine-tuning data.

Mind beyond the brain: proposal of a pragmatic interactionist framework

The nature of consciousness remains unclear, and academic discussions usually ignore the scientific evidence about anomalous and spiritual experiences suggestive of the mind beyond the brain, mainly because of the lack of a scientific framework that makes sense of these experiences. This manuscript proposes the ‘Pragmatic interactionist’ scientific framework for the mind–brain relationship based on the evidence from scientific studies of spiritual or anomalous experiences, especially near-death, end-of-life, out-of-body, and mediumistic experiences and alleged memories of previous lives. Based on the epistemic principles of an enlarged empirical base and expanded naturalism, the framework’s main components are: interactionist mind–body relationship; the mind exists and functions beyond the brain and survives bodily death; and the brain is a tool and a filter for the mind manifestation. Research proposals to advance and test the framework are: in-depth ‘360 degrees’ studies of the ‘good specimen of the class’, studies on mind-over-brain phenomena, free-will beyond extreme social and biological factors, enhanced mentation with a dysfunctional brain, reports of veridical hallucination, extracerebral memory, and early sharp personality differences between monozygotic twins. The proposed framework is a working hypothesis to enlarge our observational and analytical capacities to foster theories to better understand the human mind.

The correlation between students' information literacy and the utilisation of AI text generator in completing academic studies

Background of the study: The use of AI Text Generator (ATG) provides many conveniences for students, especially in accessing information in the form of text to make research proposals as a requirement for completing academic studies in lectures, but on the other hand the use of this technology also has a negative impact if not used wisely. Purpose: To describe the correlation between student information literacy and the utilisation of AI Text Generator in completing academic studies Method: Simple correlation to determine the level or degree of correlation between two variables. Findings: There is a significant correlation between students' information literacy and its five indicators with the utilization of AI Text Generator in completing academic studies. The level of correlation is in the moderate category. The types of AI Text Generator most widely used by students are ChatGPT, Perplexity, and followed by several other types of ATG. The reasons students use ATGs include developing ideas and information, efficiency, writing assistance, concept development, reference, problem solving, and improving the quality of writing. Conclusion: The existence of a correlation with a level of correlation strength that is in the moderate category indicates that these two variables influence each other but are not completely dependent on each other.

Smart In-Process Inspection in Human–Cyber–Physical Manufacturing Systems: A Research Proposal on Human–Automation Symbiosis and Its Prospects

This positioning paper explores integrating smart in-process inspection and human–automation symbiosis within human–cyber–physical manufacturing systems. As manufacturing environments evolve with increased automation and digitalization, the synergy between human operators and intelligent systems becomes vital for optimizing production performance. Human–automation symbiosis, a vision widely endorsed as the future of human–automation research, emphasizes closer partnership and mutually beneficial collaboration between human and automation agents. In addition, to maintain high product quality and enable the in-time feedback of process issues for advanced manufacturing, in-process inspection is an efficient strategy that manufacturers adopt. In this regard, this paper outlines a research framework combining smart in-process inspection and human–automation symbiosis, enabling real-time defect identification and process optimization with cognitive intelligence. Smart in-process inspection studies the effective automation of real-time inspection and defect mitigation using data-driven technologies and intelligent agents to foster adaptability in complex production environments. Concurrently, human–automation symbiosis focuses on achieving a symbiotic human–automation relationship through cognitive task allocation and behavioral nudges to enhance human–automation collaboration. It promotes a human-centered manufacturing paradigm by integrating the studies in advanced manufacturing systems, cognitive engineering, and human–automation interaction. This paper examines critical technical challenges, including defect inspection and mitigation, human cognition modeling for adaptive task allocation, and manufacturing nudging design and personalization. A research roadmap detailing the technical solutions to these challenges is proposed.

Do We Need to Re-Focus on Functional Female Urethral Disorders in Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction? ICI-RS 2024.

Insights into the role of the urethra in maintaining continence and in normal voiding have been provided with advances in imaging techniques. Also, functional urethral testing is used to understand which treatments are optimal for women with functional bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), but which testing is better for which treatment? This review aims to describe our current understanding of female urethral function and dysfunction and to provide future research directions for treating functional female urethral disorders. This is a consensus report of the proceedings of a research proposal discussed at the annual International Consultation on Incontinence-Research Society (ICI-RS), 6th-8th June 2024 (Bristol, UK): "Do we need to re-focus on functional female urethral disorders in lower urinary tract dysfunction? ICI-RS 2024". Regarding female urethral nomenclature, it was agreed that the same terminology should be used in the orientation of the female urethra as in the male. Also, functional MRI and computer modeling could aid further understanding of urethral function in women with voiding dysfunction and OAB symptoms. As for functional urethral assessment, options include video-urodynamics with leak point pressure (LPP) testing, urethral pressure profilometry (UPP), and striated urethral sphincter electromyography (EMG). Future testing may include the use of modalities (borrowed from cardiologic assessment of vascular structures such as resistive measures obtained with ultrasound) for the purpose of assessing urethral closure. UPP testing has limitations in measurement and reproducibility in assessing urethral pressure. Urethral sphincter EMG is difficult to perform and reproduce. LPP also has limitations related to testing and to patient effort, in addition to being influenced by factors such as bladder volume and compliance. When performing urethral surgery, it is imperative to dissect in tissue planes that preserve urethral function. Regarding therapeutic modalities for the treatment of functional female urethral dysfunction, conservative management includes pelvic floor muscle training with or without biofeedback, electrical stimulation, and extracorporeal magnetic stimulation. Furthermore, there was a robust discussion on the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy to address psychological comorbidities, thereby improving female LUTD. The evidence supporting long-term pharmacologic treatment of female urethral LUTD remains scarce. As for invasive management options, the evidence supporting the use of botulinum toxin in female LUTD is limited. Finally, the very existence of BNO and the validity of its diagnosis was discussed. Furthermore, bladder neck incision as a treatment of BNO was debated, and the indications for this procedure include a therapeutic decision balancing benefit to complications. Improving the treatment of female functional storage and voiding disorders depends on optimal urethral function assessment. Functional MRI to better understand urethral function, expanding the use of UPP testing, LPP testing, and emerging modalities while maintaining urethral function during female urethral surgery, and addressing psychological comorbidities whilst pursuing both conservative and invasive options (for refractory symptoms) are all important considerations in treating functional female urethral disorders.

Priorities and expectations of researchers, funders, patients and the public regarding the funding of medical research: results from the PERSPECT qualitative study

BackgroundIdeally, medical research provides crucial data about disease processes, diagnoses, prognoses, treatment targets and outcomes, and systems of care. However, medical research is costly, and funding is difficult to receive...

Resilience in the Internet of Medical Things: A Review and Case Study

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), an extension of the Internet of Things (IoT), is still in its early stages of development. Challenges that are inherent to IoT, persist in IoMT as well. The major focus is on data transmission within the healthcare domain due to its profound impact on health and public well-being. Issues such as latency, bandwidth constraints, and concerns regarding security and privacy are critical in IoMT owing to the sensitive nature of patient data, including patient identity and health status. Numerous forms of cyber-attacks pose threats to IoMT networks, making the reliable and secure transmission of critical medical data a challenging task. Several other situations, such as natural disasters, war, construction works, etc., can cause IoMT networks to become unavailable and fail to transmit the data. The first step in these situations is to recover from failure as quickly as possible, resume the data transfer, and detect the cause of faults, failures, and errors. Several solutions exist in the literature to make the IoMT resilient to failure. However, no single approach proposed in the literature can simultaneously protect the IoMT networks from various attacks, failures, and faults. This paper begins with a detailed description of IoMT and its applications. It considers the underlying requirements of resilience for IoMT networks, such as monitoring, control, diagnosis, and recovery. This paper comprehensively analyzes existing research efforts to provide IoMT network resilience against diverse causes. After investigating several research proposals, we identify that the combination of software-defined networks (SDNs), machine learning (ML), and microservices architecture (MSA) has the capabilities to fulfill the requirements for achieving resilience in the IoMT networks. It mainly focuses on the analysis of technologies, such as SDN, ML, and MSA, separately, for meeting the resilience requirements in the IoMT networks. SDN can be used for monitoring and control, and ML can be used for anomaly detection and diagnosis, whereas MSA can be used for bringing distributed functionality and recovery into the IoMT networks. This paper provides a case study that describes the remote patient monitoring (RPM) of a heart patient in IoMT networks. It covers the different failure scenarios in IoMT infrastructure. Finally, we provide a proposed methodology that elaborates how distributed functionality can be achieved during these failures using machine learning, software-defined networks, and microservices technologies.

Sign language interpretation using machine learning and artificial intelligence

AbstractSign language is the only way for deaf and mute people to represent their needs and feelings. Most of non-deaf-mute people do not understand sign language, which leads to many difficulties for deaf-mutes' communication in their social life. Sign language interpretation systems and applications get a lot of attention in the recent years. In this paper, we review sign language recognition and interpretation studies based on machine learning, image processing, artificial intelligence, and animation tools. The two reverse processes for sign language interpretation are illustrated. This study discusses the recent research on sign language translation to text and speech with the help of hand gestures, facial expressions interpretation, and lip reading. Also, state of the art in speech to sign language translation is discussed. In addition, some of the popular and highly rated Android and Apple mobile applications that facilitate disabled people communication are presented. This paper clarifies and highlights the recent research and real used applications for deaf-mute people help. This paper tries to provide a link between research proposals and real applications. This link can help covering any gap or non-handled functionalities in the real used applications. Based on our study, we introduce a proposal involves set of functionalities/options that separately introduced and discussed by the recent research studies. These recent research directions should be integrated for achieving more real help. Also, a set of non-addressed research directions are suggested for future focus.

Optimizing In-Store Logistics: How AI Enhances Inventory Management and Space Utilization

This integrative literature review looks at the revolutionary impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in optimizing in-store logistics to assist retail managers and technology decision-makers in using AI to improve inventory management, spatial organization, and customer experience. Based on six core concepts—AI-driven demand forecasting, automated inventory replenishment, space utilization optimization, adaptive store layout design, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction—the study's conceptual framework emphasizes AI's strategic value and the factors driving its adoption in retail logistics. The review uses rigorous criteria and systematic analysis of peer-reviewed articles, industry reports, and case studies to identify significant topics such as AI-enhanced demand forecasting, automated restocking, responsive shop layouts, data protection, and the changing responsibilities of retail staff. The paper advocates for balanced AI integration, integrating technology breakthroughs with human control and appropriate data management. Future research proposals include investigating AI's long-term implications, doing comparative assessments across retail forms, and developing frameworks for ethical data usage. These will all provide foundational insights for constructing sustainable, sophisticated retail environments that align with global development goals.

An open letter to evolutionary and human sciences; Statistics has moved on and so should we. A proposal for more transparent research, and some notes on p < 0.003

Statistical reasoning and inference have become integral to how we reach conclusions as scientists. Few papers in evolutionary, biological, and human sciences, are published at present without at least one report of a p-value, or the term “statistically significant”. As a product of this, discoveries and results often hinge on p-values below the infamous threshold of 0.05. This is due to how well ingrained these notions are in many of our higher education systems, and our practices as researchers. Nevertheless, the concept of a p-value, borrowed from statistics, and dating as far back as the late 20th and early 21st century, has undergone an evolution that we may not be completely aware of, if we do not follow or keep ourselves up to date with the most recent advances in statistical research. The present short communication can be framed as an opinion piece that simply aims to call our attention to the fact that statisticians, in recent years, have asked that we completely abandon the notion of “statistically significant (p < 0.05)”. It is important to point out that none of these observations are new, however certainly merit being re-addressed. Here I attempt to open a dialogue among archaeologists, palaeontologists, palaeoanthropologists, biological anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, and all researchers in related fields, about such statistical research. Finally, I propose a means of moving forward, suggesting we move from a world where p < 0.05 is considered a binary threshold for conclusive results, to a more nuanced practice where different gradients, down to p < 0.003, are interpreted as increasingly suggestive evidence – provided that findings are supported by additional, transparently reported corroborative data.

Research proposal on the relationship of plasma taurine concentration with cerebral edema in neurosurgical patients

Research proposal on the relationship of plasma taurine concentration with cerebral edema in neurosurgical patients

Overcoming Obstacles to Broader Impacts Implementation

Broader Impacts (BI), or the potential for academic research to benefit society, are an important and growing function of higher education. Government agencies and private foundations increasingly expect researchers to clearly articulate BI in addition to intellectual contributions to their fields. In response to these expectations and the University of Notre Dame’s (ND) mission, the Center for Broader Impacts was established in 2022 to simultaneously enhance institutional efforts to support competitive research proposal development and contribute to the overall societal impact of ND by collaborating with faculty, campus units, and external partners to design, implement, and evaluate effective BI opportunities for a wide range of audiences. Drawing from expertise across a variety of faculty and staff practitioners, as well as discussions the authors participated in with seven other diverse universities as members of the Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society’s (ARIS) Program to Enhance Organizational Research Infrastructure Capacity (ORIC) Cohort 5 training sessions, this article helps inform BI practitioners in higher education of potential obstacles, opportunities, and approaches to supporting researchers across their own campuses and communities, while also highlighting nuances of working with researchers for BI partners. An example model for a sustainable approach to BI programming is also offered in the context of the future of BI.

Research-Based Islamic Education Curriculum Management

This study examines the management and implementation of a research-based curriculum to understand how Islamic education can integrate contemporary scientific knowledge with traditional religious teachings. Using a qualitative approach, case study design at Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) Zainul Hasan Balung, data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation. The validity of the findings used triangulation techniques, and data analysis followed the three steps of data reduction, presentation, and conclusion/verification. The study findings indicate that the curriculum was developed through a comprehensive planning process, including needs assessment and stakeholder collaboration to align with madrasah education's vision, mission, and goals. Its implementation involved structured research activities by forming Youth Scientific Groups (KIR) and Innovative Product Groups, which provided students with hands-on experience in scientific research and inquiry. This approach effectively fostered critical thinking, problem-solving, and research skills among students. Teachers received ongoing training to guide students' research activities, ensuring effective curriculum delivery. The study also identified challenges, such as the need for adequate teacher preparation and appropriate learning materials, which were addressed through training programs and the development of research pocketbooks. The evaluation process used authentic assessments, such as portfolios and research proposals, to ensure continuous improvement and adaptation of the curriculum. Research-based curriculum management at MTs Zainul Hasan Balung shows that integrating research-oriented learning can improve Islamic education and prepare students for modern challenges while maintaining Islamic values. These findings provide valuable insights for Islamic educational institutions that want to implement research-based curricula effectively.

Evaluating the Impact of an AI Critical Friend on Student Research Proposals, Critical AI Literacy, and Transparent Collaborative Assessment Practices

This paper presents a work-in-progress report on an innovative approach to integrating generative AI capabilities into the assessment process, focusing on research proposal development. Specifically, the study explores the impact of incorporating an AI-powered "critical friend" that provides targeted feedback and guidance to students as they craft their research proposals. The aim is to evaluate how this AI-powered support system affects students' critical AI literacy, the quality and transparency of the collaborative assessment process, and, ultimately, the strength of the final research proposals. Through a mixed-methods approach combining surveys, focus groups, and analysis of student work and interactions with generative AI, the researchers seek to uncover key insights on the benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations of leveraging AI to enhance the research proposal development experience. The findings from this study will contribute to the growing body of literature on the role of AI in academic assessments and provide practical recommendations for educators and institutions looking to responsibly integrate these emerging technologies.

Research Proposal Development in ELT: Tools for Planning, Structuring and Writings

The primary objective of this study is to explore the tools and processes involved in developing a research proposal for English Language Teaching (ELT), focusing on effective planning, structuring, and writing practices. A theoretical framework underpinned by constructivist learning theory and sociocultural theory guides the design of the study. The research employs a qualitative approach, synthesizing existing literature and expert guidelines to develop a comprehensive framework for research proposal development. Key stages such as selecting a topic, conducting a literature review, formulating research questions, and outlining methodological strategies are critically analyzed. The study suggests that clear research objectives, grounded in theoretical principles, significantly enhance the coherence and impact of research proposals. Furthermore, the alignment of personal interests with current trends in ELT increases the likelihood of sustained researcher engagement. In addition, the paper presents that a systematic approach to proposal development, incorporating clear objectives and methodological rigor, improves the overall quality and relevance of ELT research. The paper suggest that the incorporation of mentorship and peer feedback in the proposal development process and the necessity for researchers to remain flexible in their methodological choices, adapting them to the research context. This study contributes to the field by providing a structured guideline that can be utilized by novice researchers in ELT.

Research Workshop for Students in the Center of Japanese Studies, University of Indonesia: A Community Service Activity

This article believes that university students should possess a higher level of critical thinking skills after they graduate, which can also be evaluated from their thesis writing project. The capacity to formulate a logical research problem based on empirical observation and academic evaluation is the indicator we are trying to have, thus, assess. This assessment is not the only agenda we are having in this community service activity; we also try to improve and elevate students' capacity of understanding how research works by providing further mentorship consisting of brainstorming and discussion sessions to ignite their critical thinking capacity. Nevertheless, this activity has a guiding question whether university students are able to critically identify and formulate research questions for their thesis writing project. By accepting and archiving their ideas and research proposals, we have found three important findings. First, the students are still struggling to start and set up their research proposals since many of their empirical observations are based on the subjective perception of reality, inspired from self-centered activities like hobbies and subjective preferences. Second, these subjective interpretations manifest into the low awareness of the existing previous literature for their own research, hence, making their research topic to be far from possessing an urgency of writing both empirically and academically. Third, it was also imperative that most of the students are not fully aware of the options of theoretical and conceptual framework they will use as the analytical lenses, left alone its definitions, its applications, and its debates.

Service evaluation of the research outputs for 23/24 at a large London teaching hospital

Abstract Introduction The recent report of a UK survey of pharmacy professionals’ involvement in research1 found only small numbers of the pharmacy workforce are currently undertaking research. A number of reasons for this are identified and the report contains a list of recommendations to support the embedding of research into pharmacy careers.1 Within the pharmacy department at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KCH) all research proposals are presented at the pharmacy research and audit group and a log is kept of department research outputs by the clinical academic research lead. The analysis of this data will provide a benchmark. For the purposes of this study, research encompasses audit, service evaluation and research studies as defined by the Health Research Authority defining research table.2 Aim To identify, over the financial year 23/24, the frequency of different types of research outputs from the pharmacy department at KCH broken down by output type, specialty and role. Methods Regular emails were sent April 23 – March 24 to remind staff to identify and share research outputs with the clinical academic research lead. Outputs received were circulated by newsletter to encourage and motivate others. The clinical academic research lead engaged with individual pharmacy teams throughout the year to encourage and support research outputs. Research output data was collected, April 23 – March 24, on an Excel spreadsheet including staff name, role, specialty, type of research output and date the output was completed. Research outputs were categorised into published articles, published abstracts, attendance at conference, abstracts presented at conference and presentations at conference or national webinar. Ethics was not required as the study is defined as a service evaluation. Results There were a total of 89 research outputs by the pharmacy department across the year. These were broken down into published articles (20), published abstracts (16), attendance at conference (24), abstracts presented at conference (26) and presentations at conference or national webinar (3). The two specialty teams who produced or took part in the most research outputs over the year were critical care (15) and liver (11). Consultants pharmacists were involved in the most research activity (32) followed closely by principal pharmacists (26), specialist pharmacists (25) and the deputy chief pharmacists (19). Pharmacy technicians, pharmacists taking part in the STEP programme and non-registered pharmacy staff scored the least in terms of research activity relative to size of staff group. Consultant pharmacists and principle pharmacists were the groups that published the most articles (8 each). Discussion and conclusion The trust implemented a new electronic patient record system during the year which may have impacted the number of research outputs. A limitation to this study is that there are likely to be unrecorded research outputs. The data broken down by specialty and role will allow the pharmacy management group and clinical academic research lead to support, engage and motivate in those areas to allow staff to have the time, skills and guidance to carry out research activities. The results can be used by other healthcare organisations to benchmark against.

Training undergraduate biomedical science majors in peer review and constructive criticism through a senior capstone course.

Effective scientific communication is crucial for undergraduate students to succeed in future graduate or professional careers in the biomedical sciences. Peer review and constructive criticism are essential to producing written science communications. Unfortunately, training in how to perform peer review and incorporate constructive criticism is minimal in undergraduate science courses. Here, I describe a senior thesis course for immunology and microbiology majors that encourages students to integrate iterative peer review to improve their writing skills and their ability to incorporate feedback. In this course, students are expected to complete one of the following written projects that focuses on an immunological disorder or infectious disease: a research proposal, a case study, or a meta-analysis/systematic review. Each project is separated into six assignments, and each assignment is assessed through specifications (SPECS)-based grading and peer review where students have multiple attempts to improve their scores on each assignment. Approximately 40% of each student's grade is based on their ability to incorporate feedback from peers and instructors. Preliminary survey results suggest that students are eager to learn how to effectively incorporate peer and instructor feedback. Enhancing training in peer review will encourage students to embrace constructive criticism, which will be essential for their future careers. Initial findings indicate that students are positively engaging with the peer-review process, and the use of SPECS grading fosters a growth mindset. Continued research will further explore how this method can enhance students' confidence and skill in integrating feedback into professional scientific communication.

A cross-disciplinary analysis of hedging in postgraduate students’ research proposals

The study explores the distribution of hedging devices in research proposals written by Russian postgraduatestudents majoring in engineering and humanities. In analyzing hedging from a cross-disciplinary perspective, this study adopted the methods of quantitative, contrastive and contextual analysis. Data were collected from 36 research proposals written by postgraduate students within the English language course. The results showed that research proposals written by humanities postgraduate students featured more hedges than those written by engineering ones, who did not tend to mitigate their claims. The low frequency of hedging markers in engineering research proposals was explained both by discipline-specific writing conventions and less developed language proficiency. The contrastive study of academic texts written by students majoring in two disciplines could complement the scarce body of research into non-native writers’ academic discourse and contribute to the practice in English for Academic Purposes teaching to postgraduate students. The findings can be used by curriculum designers to create materials for Russian postgraduate students who study English for Academic Purposes. Целью исследования является сопоставительный анализ маркеров хеджирования в научных текстах аспирантов, обучающихся по специальностям гуманитарного и технического направлений подготовки. В процессе исследования хеджей были использованы методы количественного, контекстуального и контрастивного анализа. Материалом для сравнительного анализа послужили 36 проектов научных исследований, написанных аспирантами в рамках курса английского языка. Анализ показал, что проекты аспирантов гуманитарных специальностей содержали значительно большее количество маркеров хеджирования, чем тексты аспирантов технических специальностей, которые избегали смягчения категоричных высказываний. Был сделан вывод о том, что низкая частотность хеджей, являющихся важными компонентами академического дискурса, связана как с дисциплинарными особенностями письма, так и с более низким уровнем владения английским языком. Результаты исследования могут быть использованы при разработке материалов для преподавания английского языка для академических целей в рамках подготовки к кандидатскому экзамену.