Proposal Writing Resources
This is a list of general tips and resources for writing a grant proposal. For a list of agency-specific resources, see our Resources by Agency page.
proposal writing guides
- 听S. Joseph Levine: A list of general tips for proposal writing organized by common types of application sections, including an example proposal.听
- 听Jacob听Kraicer, U Toronto/HFSP: An older, but still popular, proposal writing guide, including suggested timelines. Uses vocabulary characteristic of NIH proposals, but advice is applicable to proposals to other agencies.听听
- , University of Michigan: A well-written general guide; addresses common section types with greater specificity than other guides. Includes old but still-relevant data on reasons why proposals are rejected.听
- , Bioscience Writers: A detailed breakdown of how to structure a Specific Aims section in an NIH application, but the advice on general argumentative structure is also useful for other types of proposals.听听
- 听GrantSpace听by Candid: A free online course on the basics of proposal writing. Estimated completion time is 1 hour.听
- , Bioscience Writers: A free online resource focused on scientific writing. Includes multiple articles on fine-tuning/editing scientific articles, proposals, and manuscripts; writing CVs, resumes, cover letters, and abstracts; and guidelines for formatting and including scientific jargon/vocabulary, among other helpful links.
articles
- Robert Porter (Director of Research Development, University of Tennessee) has published
a series of short scholarly articles that provide practical advice for proposal writers:听
- 听Research Management Review听17.1 (Fall/Winter 2009): 10-17听
- 听Research Management Review听18.2 (Fall/Winter 2011): 1-7听听
- ,鈥澨�Journal of Research Administration听XXXVI.2 (2005): 5-13听
- 听Kenneth T. Henson, the听Chronicle of Higher Education听听
- 听George Gopen and Judith Swan,听American Scientist 鈥斕�a highly detailed treatment of style and sentence structure in scientific writing, focused on maximizing clarity when communicating complex technical ideas.听
- Science听Magazine鈥檚 鈥淕rant Writing for Tight Times鈥� feature series from 2007 goes beyond grant-writing
basics to offer guidance from grant writers, grant reviewers, and agency program officers:听
- 听听
- 听听
- 听听
- 听