{"id":38436,"date":"2011-06-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-10T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2011\/06\/10\/dr-mercers-tips-for-grant-writers\/"},"modified":"2011-06-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-06-10T05:00:00","slug":"dr-mercers-tips-for-grant-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2011\/06\/10\/dr-mercers-tips-for-grant-writers\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Mercer’s tips for grant writers"},"content":{"rendered":"

UNMC Editorial Grants Associate Jessica Mercer Ph.D., offers the following 10 tips for investigators who want to write better grants:<\/p>\n


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\nJessica Mercer, Ph.D.<\/span>
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\n<\/TABLE>1. Structure your writing<\/B><\/p>\n

Before you begin, outline the grant proposal and the points that need to be included. This will help you stay focused and be more concise. Provide one main idea per sentence (The National Institutes of Health says sentence length should average 15\u201020 words).<\/p>\n

2. Highlight the significance of the proposal<\/B><\/p>\n

Be direct. Don’t expect (or hope) the reviewer will derive the significance of the grant proposal simply by reading it. Instead, just say: “Our research is significant because …” Being direct saves the reviewer time and eliminates any misinterpretations of your work.<\/p>\n

3. Sell your ideas<\/B><\/p>\n

Don’t bury ideas in details. Present them in ways that reviewers can buy into. Use persuasive language, visuals and analogies so they stand out from others and are remembered.<\/p>\n

4. Activate verbs<\/B><\/p>\n

Strong, active verbs are the workhorses of effective sentences. They give your
\nsentences energy. Use active, not passive, voice.<\/p>\n

5. Be concise<\/B><\/p>\n

Eliminate wordiness. Don’t overuse qualifiers (really, very, quite, extremely). Avoid weak qualifiers (hope, should, could, believe) and use
\n‘expect’ instead. Avoid science cliches such as missing link, paradigm shift, etc.<\/p>\n


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\nDiscover more
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\nRead more about Dr. Mercer and the Research Editorial Office in the latest edition of UNMC Discover<\/a>.
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\n<\/TABLE>6. Preliminary data<\/B><\/p>\n

Lead the reviewer through your results. Interpret them clearly and concisely.
\nPresent preliminary data that demonstrates the feasibility of the research in your hands.<\/p>\n

7. Write with a reader’s perspective<\/B><\/p>\n

See and read the proposal through the reviewer’s perspective. Read it aloud to find holes. Get feedback from colleagues. Consider whether the reader will interpret the information as you intended.<\/p>\n

8. Reviewers are human<\/B><\/p>\n

Remember reviewers are human and have emotions. Writing can play to those
\nemotions. Make logical, compelling arguments. Convey your passion for your
\nproposal.<\/p>\n

9. Stand out from the pack<\/B><\/p>\n

Make your grant proposal stand out. Understand the mission of the granting agency and their review criteria. Learn from prior critiques. Use analogies that reviewers will remember. Talk with colleagues who participate in study sections and ask them what, too often, is missing from proposals.<\/p>\n

10. Focus on the basics<\/B><\/p>\n

Review your sentence structure, style and transitions. Make the text readable with appropriate margins and paragraphs. Use strong headlines to ‘hook’ the reader.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UNMC Editorial Grants Associate Jessica Mercer Ph.D., offers 10 tips for investigators who want to write better grants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-research","department-unmc-today-todays-headlines"],"yoast_head":"\nDr. Mercer's tips for grant writers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UNMC 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