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Table of Contents

1. Tips on formatting your NIH grant

2. How to package and present your grant

3 Using an effective3. Using an effective writing style and tone

4. Organizing the sections of your grant

Russell, S. and Morrison, D. The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook. 

Casella, P. Workshop on Grant Writing for Academic Success.

Tips on Formatting

Tips on Formatting: To make text readable

T

Put line breaks between

paragraphs

Have a reasonable

margin width –1 inch is better

than ½-inch margins

To save space:• Auto-hyphenate• Use full

justification• Single space

after each period

Use heading and a numbering

system

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Tips on Formatting:Develop a hierarchy of headings

Use it Consistently

Allows reviewer to

SECTION HEADINGSSubsection Headings

Sub-sectionheadings

Consistentlysee hierarchy

Tips on Formatting:Develop a hierarchy of headings

RESEARCH STRATEGY

A. SignificanceA1.

A2.

B. InnovationB1.

B2B2.

C. ApproachC1. Aim 1

C1a. Introduction

C1b. Preliminary Studies

C1c. Research Design

C1d. Expected Outcomes

C1e. Potential Problems & Alternative Strategies

C2. Aim 2…

C3. Timeline

C4. Summary

Tips on Formatting:Apply strategies of newspaper journalists

Help

Questions

Case examples

Readable text

Help readers want to

read what you write Sidebars

CalloutsGraphics images

Color

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Tips on Formatting:Apply strategies of newspaper journalists

Newspaper headlines: use the fewest words to inform and “hook: the reader

• Where?• Title, Specific aims, section headings, paragraph

headings

The introductory paragraph: a broad The introductory paragraph: a broad, conceptual overview

• Increases interest in the details that follow• Don’t bury the reviewers too quickly in detail

Style of writing

• Simple, direct style• Emphasizes brevity

WITS: A Wireless Interactive Teaching System

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Packaging and Presentation

Must convey a story

Every paragraph should logically y p g p g yflow from the preceding ones

Every sentences conveys one message

Every word must be the right word• is partial toward

“I think you should be more explicit here in step two.”

Packaging and Presentation:Structure to convey clarity and logic

Proposal as a whole

Sections

Tables, charts,Tables, charts, images

Paragraphs

Sentences

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How many interpretations should readers get from your writing?

1

NIAID: “Use short

Packaging and Presentation: Structure of the sentence

Two components in a sentence

How many ideas per sentence?

NIAID: Use short sentences with a basic structure: subject, verb, and object. Break up long, involved sentences. Keep sentences to 20 or so words or less.”

http://funding.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/cycle/part04.htm#d3

Our hypothesis not only tests the context dependent roles of Notch pathway within a cellular framework but also defines molecular axes through which these roles are executed, thus having the potential to

identify molecular nodes that can be targeted for selective and sequential activation of stem cell and neurogenic properties of Müllercells, setting a stage for pharmaceutical recruitment of these cells for

therapeutic regeneration.

Our hypothesis not only tests the context-dependent roles of Notch signaling within a cellular framework, but also defines molecular

axes through which these roles are executed. Thus, our work has the potential to identify molecular nodes that can be targeted for selective and sequential activation of stem cell and neurogenicproperties of Müller cells. These findings will set the stage for

pharmaceutical recruitment of these cells for therapeutic regeneration.

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Packaging and Presentation: Active vs. passive voice

Active voice• Subject—verb—object

• They wrote the book. Passive voice• Object—verb—subject

• The book was written by them.

A retrospective study of 301 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer between January 1991 and December 1992 at St Mark’s and affiliated hospitalsDecember 1992 at St. Mark s and affiliated hospitals was performed.

It is concluded that this program can help our clients in their transition to independent living.

NIAID: “Use strong, active verbs — they are the workhorses of effective sentences

Packaging and Presentation: Support for Active Voice

are the workhorses of effective sentences. For example, write ‘We will develop a cell line,’ not ‘A cell line will be developed’.“ http://funding.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/cycle/part04.htm#d3

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Packaging and Presentation: Support for Active Voice

• Behavioral Ecology: "The first-person active voice is preferable to the impersonal passive voice."

• British Medical Journal: "Please write in a clear, direct, and active style....Write in the active [voice] and use the first person where necessary."

• The Journal of Neuroscience: "Overuse of the passive voice is a common problem in writing. Although the passive has its place—for example, in the Methods section—in many instances it makes the manuscript dull by failing to

Journals

y p y gidentify the author's role in the research....Use direct, active-voice sentences."

• The Journal of Trauma and Dissociation: "Use the active voice whenever possible: We will ask authors that rely heavily on use of the passive voice to re-write manuscripts in the active voice."

• Nature: "Nature journals like authors to write in the active voice ('we performed the experiment...') as experience has shown that readers find concepts and results to be conveyed more clearly if written directly."

• Ophthalmology: "Active voice is much preferred to passive voice, which should be used sparingly....Passive voice...does not relieve the author of direct responsibility for observations, opinions, or conclusions (e.g., 'The problem of blood flow was investigated...' vs. 'We investigated the problem of blood flow...')."

• Science: "Use active voice when suitable, particularly when necessary for correct syntax (e.g., 'To address this possibility, we constructed a lZap library ...,' not 'To address this possibility, a lZap library was constructed...')."

A palliative, noncurative relief of symptoms was

reported in women with rheumatoid arthritis taking

h l i E id b lthe oral contraceptive Envoid by several

investigators.

Packaging and Presentation: Passive to active

• Find the true subject1

• Find the verb2

A palliative, noncurative relief of symptoms was reported in women with rheumatoid arthritis taking the oral contraceptive Envoid by several investigators.

• Organize into subject– verb structure3

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Packaging and Presentation: Check for clarity and stress

Several investigators reported a palliative,

noncurative relief of symptoms in women withnoncurative relief of symptoms in women with

rheumatoid arthritis taking the oral contraceptive

Envoid.

Packaging and Presentation: Positions of emphasis

“Misunderstanding in writing is 85% due to structural issues and

only 15% due to t t l i ”

“It is theoretically impossible to forward

only a single interpretation. By

using natural positions of emphasis, the best an author can do is

make available to the

George Gopen, JD, PhD

contextual issues.” make available to the reader the

interpretation the author wants to

convey.”

Gopen, G. and Swan, J. The Science of Scientific Writing. American Scientist. 1990

Packaging and Presentation: Positions of emphasis

Exercise:1) Although the treatment is highly effective, it

has significant side effects.2) Although the treatment has significant side2) Although the treatment has significant side

effects, it is highly effective.3) The treatment has significant side effects,

but it is highly effective.4) The treatment is highly effective, and it has

significant side effects.

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Packaging and Presentation: Positions of emphasis

• Old information the action • New information

Packaging and Presentation: Positions of emphasis

Old information

• Backwards-lookinginformation

• Information that the reader is familiarwith

• Important information

• Information that deserves to be stressed

• Specific information

Packaging and Presentation: Positions of emphasis

Development of an X model for Y injury is the goal ofp j y gthis project.

The goal of this project is to develop an X model for Y injury.

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Packaging and Presentation: Structure of a paragraph

1st sentence is the most important

Main idea or the context of

the information

“Topic sentence”

Packaging and Presentation: Structure of a paragraph

Middle sentences: the

information

Packaging and Presentation: Structure of a paragraph

Last sentence: a way to carry around

the information

Summary or evaluation of information

“Taken together, these data point to…”

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Using an Effective Tone

Influences how

Is a subtle but

important issue

Conveys your

attitude

Communicate a mental

picture of you and your project

readers• Receive the

message• Understand

the message• Respond to

the message

Thoughtful

Detail‐oriented

Using an Effective Tone:Tone to convey in proposals

That you can see the big picture

Enthusiastic and realistic

Not to impress, but to convey meaning

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Using an Effective Tone:Ways to engage your readers

TAB ONE TAB TWO TAB THREE TAB FOUR TAB FIVE

U th fi t U ti GiU Sh I

NIAID: “Guide reviewers with graphics. A picture is

probably worth more than a thousand words. Graphics,

timelines, charts, and other visual elements can help

reviewers readily grasp a lot of information. And they break

up the monotony of text.”

Use the first person

Use questions Give Examples

Use a journalistic approach

Show Images

Using an Effective Tone: Ways to engage your readers

Varying the Linking Transitioning Telling the

length of sentences

Linking sentences

Transitioning between ideas

Telling the story

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Using an Effective Writing Style:Important considerations

1. Write in clear, simple declarative

sentences

A id diffi lt

2. Brevity is saintly

O l it h t i• Avoid difficult, compound sentences

• Break things into smaller chunks

• Only write what is absolutely necessary

Using an Effective Writing Style:Important Considerations

Before:

• The lack of independence perceived by Reviewer #2 and Reviewer #3 has been addressed by upgrading the applicant’s academic appointment, assignment of new resources to her, and provision of evidence of full separation from her former mentor (see Biographical Sketch-Personal Statement; Facilities & Other Resources-Laboratory andStatement; Facilities & Other Resources-Laboratory and Equipment sections; and Chair’s Letter of Support, respectively).

Revised:• Perceived lack of independence (Reviewers 2 & 3):

appointment upgraded (Biographical Sketch-Personal Statement); resources assigned (Facilities & Other Resources-Laboratory and Equipment), and full separation from former mentor (Chair’s Letter of Support).

Using an Effective Writing Style:Important Considerations

3. Avoid the use of clichés and empty

generalities

• Ex. “state of the

4. Avoid the use of nouns as adjectives

• Ex. TIMP-1

5. Avoid the use of weak qualifying

words

• if, try, hope, may,Ex. state of the art research is expected to advance the field significantly”

• Be specific

Ex. TIMP 1 mediated evolutionarily conserved CNS matrix regulation

• It doesn’t add that much more text to make things maximally clear

if, try, hope, may, might, could, should, believe

• Use expectinstead

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A possible cause is the tendency of patients with diabetes to develop retinopathy

Using an Effective Writing Style:Important Considerations

6. The use of ‘whether’

7. Make sure you use the correct word when there is a

choice between two that are closely related

• Try the ‘extent to which’ • Examples:• compliment/complement• affect/effect• criteria vs. criterion

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Organizing the sections of your grant:Specific Aims

Judicious use of subtle

Prepare a bullet outlinesubtle

highlighting

• For single or several words use italics and underlining

outline

• Then expand the bullets into sentences

• Integrate and link sentences appropriately

Organizing the sections of your grant:Specific Aims

Introductory Paragraph

What, Why, Who Paragraph

• Opening Sentence

• Current Knowledge

• Gap in the Knowledge Base or

• Unmet Need

• Long-Term Goal• Overall Objective• Central

hypothesis and how formulated

• Rationale (What will become possible that is not possible now?)

Organizing the sections of your grant:Specific Aims

• Example of persuasive introductory paragraph

Agaricus bisporus (AB), the cultivated mushroom of commerce that is consumed by millions of people in the Western Hemisphere, contains several N,N-bond-containing chemicals that are potentially carcinogenic. The best k f th i iti hi h i t b li d t i t ti llknown of these is agaritine, which is metabolized to various potentially carcinogenic compounds by the mushroom itself. Previous work in several laboratories, including that of the Co-Investigator, has established that the major agaritine breakdown product, 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzene-diazonium ion (HMBD), is carcinogenic in mice. Thus, experiments in animals hint that consumption of AB may contribute to development of cancers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in the human population. Nevertheless, due to practical considerations and the many confounding variables that would be involved, there are no epidemiological data addressing this important question. Part of the problem is the lack of a biomarker to screen for carcinogenic exposure arising from AB consumption in the population.

MacDonald, R. R21 submission. June 2010

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Organizing the sections of your grant:Specific Aims

• Example of a clear what, why, who paragraph

The long-range goal of our work is to determine whether AB consumption poses a potential cancer risk for humans eating the mushroom as part of a Western diet. As a first step to provide mechanistic justification for human trials and to help determine if mushroom consumption contributes significantly to the p p g yrisk for GI cancers, our objective in the present project to develop a screening assay for AB mushroom carcinogenic exposure. Thus, we will test the central hypothesis that the mutagenic mushroom carcinogen HMBD produces protein adducts on exposure to cells and that these adducts can be detected in colonocytes of animals fed the AB mushroom.

Organizing the sections of your grant:Specific Aims

Convey why that part of the research is being proposed

Avoid descriptive approach:

• We will

Write aims globally –encompass any alternatives to which

Specific Aims

proposed• Hypothesis-driven:

will objectively test its parts

• Not what will be done – process should not be emphasized

We will… compare/correlate/describe/catalog/ study/investigate

alternatives to which you might have to turn

• Narrow the focus with the working hypothesis so that the aim is not open-ended

Working Hypothesis• We hypothesize that repression of the TIMP-1 promoter

accounts for its downregulation under chronic inflammatory stimuli. Specific

Specific Aim 1• To identify the

mechanism underlying TIMP-1 downregulationduring chronic brain inflammation.

Specific Aim 2

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Organizing the sections of your grant:Specific Aims

Payoff Paragraph

Expected Outcomes

Generality regarding positive impact

Impact Statement: If successful, this project will lead to the

development of the first screening assay for a biomarker of the

chemicals contained within the AB mushroom to detect

carcinogenic exposure of the GI tract. The work is expected to

have an important impact because millions of people every day

ingest the mushroom through the Western diet. The availability

of a sensitive, specific, and non-invasive assay for risk

assessment may help alter public policy and provide the

scientific justification for human trials.

Organizing the sections of your grant:Significance and Innovation

Length should not exceed ½ - ¾ page

Divide the Significance and

Innovation sections into three parts

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Organizing the sections of your grant:Significance

Part 1: a critical P 2 h

Part 3: discussion

critical analysis of literature

Part 2: the statement of significance

of the expected benefits

Organizing the sections of your grant:Innovation

Part 1: document

P t 2 th

Part 3: positive

what the norm has

been

Part 2: the statement of innovation

positive impact of innovation

Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach

E h i

Content and quality

f th Emphasis of the review

template

of the science

Impact research will have

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Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach

• What will be done?1

Answer the following 5 questions:

• What are the means to accomplish the aim?2

• What are the means to accomplish the aim?3

• What alternative strategies would you turn to?4

• What are the expected outcomes, and, and why are they important?5

Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach

Approach:

Each Aim:

Introductory Paragraph

Justification & Feasibility

Review of Relevant Literature

Preliminary Studies

Research Design

Expected Outcomes

Potential Problems & Alternative Strategies

Timeline

Summary

Justify why the work needs to be

done

Summarize overall

outcome and positive

impact

Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach – Introduction

Working Hypothesis

Rationale Aim’s Objective

Overall Strategy

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Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach – Justification & Feasibility

Review of the literature:

Write this section last

Review of the literature:

Focus should only be on justification of need for that

part of the research

Critical analysis of what has been

published

Citations• Primary literature

only• Use author/year

format• Up to date

Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach – Justification & Feasibility

Preliminary DataPreliminary Data

Only include preliminary studies that support the

project’s feasibility in your hands

Different grant mechanisms require different amounts• E.g. R03 vs.

R01

Unpublished data primarily Interpret data

Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach – Research Design

Provide meaningful detail, not routine detail.

Write an explanatory title for each study:

• Approach to be used• Overview of the methods to be used• Overview of the methods to be used• Essential reagents needed• Critical equipment required• Number of subjects

• How the numbers were derived• Statistical analysis• Controls• Replicates• Detailed expectations• How results will be interpreted• Time required to complete studies

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Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach – Research Design

How much methodological detail?

• Reference the relevant paper

Has anyone on the research team published on this methodology?

p p

• New investigators or inexperience in the field require more validation

Does my training make it obvious that I can do the methodology?

• Include data that show the methodology is feasible in your hands.

Do I have preliminary data that demonstrate I can do the methods?

Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach – Expected Outcomes

Return on investment

Collect expected outcomes from the Research Design subsection

Summarize the expected outcomes

Convey how they collectively

achieve the aim’s objective

Do not overstate your expectations

Organizing the sections of your grant:Approach – Potential Problems & Alternative Strategies

Summarize potential problems and identify feasible solutions

• The nature of the perceived problem.1

• The reason why you don’t think the problem is likely to arise.2

• What alternative approach would you employ?3

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Take Home Message:An effective grant proposal…

Follows the instructions

and addresses

the mission of the grantor

Is a marketing document

“sell” the idea

Has both• A good idea• Clear, effective

communication

Is written for both• Expert

reviewers• The “intelligent

non-expert”

Research Editorial Office

http://www.unmc.edu/research_editorial.htm