Guidelines to mock NSF proposal

Herpetology Class, ENV 4210

BJ Evans, Z Takacs

• Note that sections with an asterisk are not required for the mock proposal.
• The official NSF grant guidelines are available at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg
• You may use the below guidelines or the official NSF guidelines.

I. Project Summary.

Summarize the goals, methods and significance of your proposal. ½ page.

II. Table of Contents

List major sections of your proposal with page numbers.

III. Project Description

a. Results from prior NSF support* (<1 page).

This section summarizes results of past support (not required).

b. Introduction (~1 page).

Introduce purpose of proposed research in the context of background research findings. Publications should be relevant to research questions. Try to illustrate the current state of understanding on your topic while also pointing out the deficiencies in understanding that you hope to resolve.

c. Overview of Objectives (~1/2 page).

Briefly list the sections of your proposal in an outline. You may elaborate on each section with a 1-2 sentence explanation about what each section does.

d. Proposed Studies (4-8 pages).

Study 1. Describe each section of your proposed research will do. Clearly define hypotheses to be tested in each section. You may want to first introduce the hypothesis in the context of other research and/or information. Separate the hypotheses from the rest of the text like this:

H_o: Frogs are more important than humans.

Then describe Data, Samples (if necessary), Outgroups (if necessary), Methods (field and laboratory), and Analysis in separate paragraphs. Precede each paragraph with the subject of that paragraph, e.g.:

Data: The data to be used in this study will include….

Descriptions of each study should be clear and very easy to follow. The reviewer should be able to easily find sections about which she/he may have questions. Feel free to include figures if a concept is better communicated graphically.

Study 2, 3…. Repeat as in Study 1.

e. Project Management Plan (less than ½ a page).

Lay out projected activities over period covered by proposal (1-2 years). What will you be doing over the research period? You can use a time line or chart if you want.

f. Significance (1-1.5 pages)

A very important part of the proposal. Why is the work you are proposing worth funding? You may want to separately describe the significance of each proposed study.

IV. References

Include all references cited in proposal. Do not include references that were not cited.

V. Biogeographical Sketches*

Curriculum vitae of all investigators (not required).

VI. Budget*

Budget including salaries, equipment, travel, etc. (not required).

VII. Current and Pending Support*

A list of all current and pending support from NSF and other agencies (not required).

VIII. Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources*

A list of relevant research facilities at your disposal (not required).

IX. Special Information, Supplementary Documentation*

Optional portion to include research permits, letters of support/collaboration, etc. (not required).