Refining Project Content Summer Grant Proposal Writing Workshop Series Sponsored by CAS Office Of Research & Scholarship

Setting Your Research Agenda  Larger and smaller goals  Interesting research questions  Necessary expertise  Interface with funding sources  Interface with larger scientific and community needs

Research Fit with Funding Sources  Developing research programs  Shaping research application  Incorporating new expertise  Examining the larger implications  NOT removing what you want to study

Pieces of an NIH Proposal: Part 1  Cover sheet  Checklist (inserted at end)  Page for description, sites, and personnel  Table of Contents  Budget (modular) and justification  Biographical Sketches  Resources

Pieces of an NIH Proposal: Part 2  Research Plan Text (25 single-spaced pages)  Specific Aims  Background and Significance  Preliminary Studies/Progress Report  Research Design and Methods  Research Plan Particulars  Human Subjects  Vertebrate Animals  Literature Cited  Consortium/contractual arrangements  Letters of support (e.g., Consultants)

Project Summary/ Description Tips  Long-term objectives  Specific aims  Fit to program goals  General plan for research with design/method  No jargon or abbreviations  No first person or summaries of previous work  Should be self-contained and accessible to most  Emphasize value of project (public access)

Tips for Specific Aims  Avoid fishing expeditions and purely descriptive aims.  Be specific about WHY (“To study the effect of x on y” is not a useful aim).  Do not include methods unless aim is to develop method.  Avoid contingencies in specific aims that could undermine part of the project.  Include aims that fit the agency’s program goals.

Tips for Background & Significance  Use plenty of references from the literature.  Consider likely reviewers and their work.  Discuss all sides: Avoid bias or “fanning the flames” of controversy.  Cite references using author/year format.  Describe how your work fits in to the background, but it should not form the background.

Tips for Preliminary Studies  Although section is optional, info is not: Be sure to explain how your work puts you in a good position to complete the proposed project.  First person/direct attestations are best avoided.  Clearly explain rationale, methods, figures.  Avoid preliminary data that could preempt project.  Be sure to let reviewers know HOW this work relates to proposal. (Apparently irrelevant preliminary studies can count against you).

Tips for Research Design & Methods  Remember your reviewers: help them understand and appreciate your project.  Avoid designs that could lead to dead ends.  Converging methods strengthen a proposal.  Point out problems—but only if you can describe how you will try to address them.  Use heads/subheads and spacing to help reviewers.

Staying on Target Do your best to be:  Informed (read the literature)  Straightforward (keep it simple)  Realistic (don’t take on too much)  Reasoned (say why it matters)  Modest (get help where needed)  Lenient (just get it on paper)