Grant-writing for the layperson reviewer

Next week, we have our first of two e-seminars on "grant-writing for the layperson reviewer," and thus today I offer some tips on the same!

I once read an op-ed piece by a brilliant academic who used both the words: venerable and somnolent in not only the first sentence, but the first clause. Now, I probably shouldn't admit this, but I headed to the dictionary on somnolent and double-checked what I understood was the definition for venerable while I was there. My point is not that I have a lackluster vocabulary. Rather, I fall pretty firmly into the "intelligent layperson" category for most of the pieces I read. So, when I can't get through the first sentence of a piece that's intended for the lay audience, there's likely some work to do on the part of the writer.

As we near the end of the year, I wanted to return to one of our more popular blog topics: writing for the layperson, if for no other reason than to help prepare you to move from your very technical and scholarly writing to writing your end-of-year family newsletter.

Make it useful
Back in tech-writing school, technical writing was defined as writing for a purpose, and more specifically, writing to be useful. Meaning to transition to technical writing is to take yourself out of the equation (you're not writing for your own edification anymore) and focusing on writing that will be useful to the reader. The first thing to do is understand what your reader is using your writing for.  If you're writing a grant proposal, your audience is at least in part your reviewers.  So, who are your reviewers? Are they experts? In your specific field? After figuring out who they are, realize that they likely want to skim your application initially to get an understanding of what it's all about. So, how navigable is your piece? Are you using clear and consistent headings? Are you organizing your writing in a way to make your grant "useful?"

Start with what they know
If you're writing a technical piece for the layperson, begin with both things they are familiar with and things that matter to them to draw them in. Talk about the big picture and possible impact that your research will create. Explain in plain language why your work is important and what difference it will make. When you're addressing the "who cares?" question, make sure you explain why they, the readers, should care as well.

Use examples that will resonate
As you move into the more technical nitty gritty of your document, let your reader come up for air every so often by providing an example or a metaphor with which they will be familiar. Having just completed a statistics course, it's amazing how useful it is to have my instructor show a picture of the curvilinear relationship we're studying or offering an example of interpreting an odds ratio. These teaching practices can really be put to good use in your own technical writing. If you equate the intended use of your grant proposal with the learning outcome for a class, you can then start breaking down your subject matter in such a way that it gets your reader to your intended outcome in the same way you instruct a learner.


Going, back to my original example, I don't mean to be a fancy-word-hater, even if I am a Technical Writer. Think how much smarter I am now that I can start describing things as venerable or somnolent! But, if you're going to wax poetic in your piece, make sure there is a good reason for the reader's sake. Make sure that you're really using the best word(s), and that your reader's potential trip to the dictionary will be worth it. Or, better yet, use the fancy word(s) in such a way that their meaning is obvious, so those readers who are too lazy to look it up can still stay with you.

Resources:
The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing - MIT
In a nutshell: How to write a lay summary - Elsevier

Preparing to write

I don't usually get writer's block. My job and my research force me to write pretty consistently, so I can't remember a time where I just couldn't write or when I faced a wall that felt insurmountable. My style of writer's block usually comes in the form of avoiding writing a particular piece or a particular section where I'm not sure what to write. The longer I put off this nagging writing responsibility, the harder it is to get myself going... So, nevermind, I guess I do get writer's block. :)

Sometimes in these situations, it's good to just sit down and start writing. Start freewriting whatever pops into your head to get going. Yet, when it comes to writing grant proposals, the freewrite can be dangerous if you don't take a step back to organize and clarify your thoughts. So, instead of freewriting to get started on that grant proposal you've been avoiding, try these tips instead. Hopefully, these preparatory writing steps can help save you time re-writing a clearer proposal down the road.

Think it through:
Before you put pen to paper or fingers to keys, as it were, take some time to think through your project. Think about what's important about your research. What's possible? How will you accomplish your goals? How long will it take? What if things don't go as planned? You'll find that once you've thought through these things, when you start writing, it will flow, and you'll be writing more clearly than if you'd been working things out as you wrote.

Re-read the program announcement:
In our NSF Review Process e-seminar last week, Dr. Bodhi Rogers stressed the importance of reading and re-reading the program announcement. If you take the time to really orient yourself to what the funder is asking for, you'll find that you already know how best to respond to the prompts. If you allow the program announcement to guide your project and your proposal, not only will you have a pathway for writing, but you'll also make your proposal that more competitive because you're speaking to what's important to the agency.

Create an outline:
Instead of just starting to write and seeing what comes out, make a plan for what you're going to write. This will keep you from going on tangents that can be harder to pull out or re-align later. Beyond an initial outline, know what you want to cover in each paragraph, use a leading sentence and a concluding sentence to make your focus clear to your reader.

Develop a conceptual diagram:
Sometimes thinking a little differently about your work can help you write about it more clearly. So, instead of using words, try drawing your project out in a diagram. If you are able communicate your research in a diagram, it not only helps you to think more clearly about it, but if you do indeed develop a simple and intuitive diagram, you can then include it in your proposal to help your reviewers quickly understand what it is you're doing.

Resources:
10 Tips for Writing Clear, Concise Sentences - Your Dictionary
Clear Proposal Writing - APMP

Finding Balance

I've noticed since the COVID-19 outbreak that my normal grant development blogs are garnering less readers, but those that are talking about flow and habit are getting more than usual. This makes perfect sense to me. Most folks are less focused on trying to up their grants game and more focused on how to manage their work, families, grief, and even loss. So, I pulled some work out of the archive and dug up some more current resources for trying to cope and re-establish ourselves in the midst of stay-at-home orders.

Years ago, Dr. Jean Kutner spoke at one of our seminars on establishing work/life balance. And, she began by saying, "There's no such thing as work/life balance; it's all life!" She was quick to clarify that she didn't mean that we should have no boundaries and work all the time, but from her perspective, it was less important to try and categorize elements of life and just realize that all of the things we do are our life and we need to manage them all together, not disparately. This advice is even more poignant now. This morning as I was listening to the podcast below by Brene Brown on managing life and family while in a crisis unlike any we've experienced, my eight year old stopped me to set up abcmouse for him on the computer, then asked if I could come out rollerblading with him. My five year old had a mini tantrum when he couldn't find his toy catalog, etc. Never before has the idea of "it's all life," been more real to me. So, what can we do to achieve balance now?

Balance is achieved when you feel content in all areas of your life or feel like you have enough time to allocate to all the things that are important to you. This is easier said than done, especially now, but there are some things you can do. You can increase resources or decrease demands. Below I offer some suggestions under both categories.

Increase resources:
When it comes to the resources that make the biggest difference in terms of balance, the best resource to have is time. However, since we cannot create more time, it's important to look at ways that we can conserve time. This can mean things like finding an editor to review articles and/or grant proposals or perhaps delegating some tasks to others. Of course, be sensitive to what others are going through in this time. It might be better to wait on some tasks rather than unload them. Another way to save time is to be judicious in the extra responsibilities you take on. It's important that you master saying no to things that are not necessary or worth the additional stress in your life. And maybe at this point, you need to reassess what's currently on your plate and ask for extensions or to be let out of some responsibilities

Although I don't feel like there is a moment during the day that I'm not multitasking, it's important to remember that multitasking is a deceptively large time suck. Although most people think that multitasking saves time, research shows that people really can't focus on multiple things at the same time, and they actually lose time switching to new things and remembering/refocusing what they're doing. So, instead, prioritize and do one thing at a time.

Reduce demand:
Prioritizing can help you to get the work that needs to be done done and can alleviate some of the pressure that you feel in the short-term. Setting reasonable expectations with colleagues is another way that can reduce demand, especially in the near future.

Self-care:
When things get stressful, it's easy to kick it into overdrive in the short term. Problem is when this gets to be longer term, there are serious health repercussions. So remember, taking care of yourself makes you more productive during your working time. So make sure you get the sleep you need and consistently exercise. Also, take breaks and spend quality time with family members or pets or call friends on the phone.

Give yourself time to process what is happening right now. Continue to be kind to yourself; accept that you won't be able to do all the things you wish you could.

Resources:
Brene Brown on Comparative Suffering, the 50/50 myth, and Settling the Ball
That Discomfort You're Feeling is Grief

Know Your Agency: NSF

In anticipation for our e-seminar next week on the National Science Foundation (NSF) review process. We've updated our Know Your Agency Brief on the agency. The full brief can be found here.

OVERVIEW

The National Science Foundation (NSF) was one of several agencies created after World War II to help preserve the federal government/academic research alliance that had developed during the War. Legislation to create NSF turned into a five-year process of negotiations between Congress and two Presidents that was finally signed by Harry Truman in 1950 (Source: NSF: A Brief History, George Mazuzan). NSF is an independent federal agency – meaning while it resides within the Executive Branch, it is not a Cabinet-level department or part of the Executive Office of the President. Rather, NSF is responsible to the President; but Congress provides yearly appropriations for the agency, has oversight authority, and confirms all Presidential appointments of agency personnel.

Specific Interests

NSF funds research in natural, physical, social, and behavioral sciences; computer science; engineering; and education. NSF also supports educational improvement efforts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Approach

The agency mission “includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences” (Source: NSF What We Do Website). To meet this mission, NSF supports external research efforts in academia and industry; the agency does not maintain laboratories or perform in-house research. In 2016, NSF launched a new long-term research agenda called Big Ideas, and engaged the research community in identifying them: Future of Work, Growing Convergence Research, Harnessing the Data Revolution, Mid-scale Research Infrastructure, Navigating the New Arctic, NSF 2026, NSF INCLUDES, Quantum Leap, Understanding the Rules of Life, and Windows on the Universe.

AGENCY ORGANIZATION

The NSF Director and Deputy Director are charged with overseeing agency operations. Another key component of NSF is the National Science Board (NSB), consisting of 24 members drawn from both industry and academia. The NSB is responsible for establishing policies for the agency,and also makes recommendations concerning research and education policies for the President and Congress. All these leadership positions are six-year Presidential appointments confirmed by Congress. (Source: NSF FY2019 Agency Financial Report, MD&A – p. 7)

NSF has seven Directorates supporting research and education efforts, each headed by an Assistant Director: 

• Biological Sciences
• Computer and Information Science and Engineering
• Education and Human Resources
• Engineering
• Geosciences
• Mathematical and Physical Sciences
• Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences 

NSF GRANTS PROCESS

Proposals may be submitted in response to NSF program solicitations and announcements (solicited proposals) or may be generated by researchers in areas responsive to agency interests (unsolicited proposals). NSF’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), updated yearly, is the main source of information for those preparing and submitting proposals as well as for subsequent award management.

NSF supports a variety of proposal types including standard research grants, two small grants programs (one designed to respond to unanticipated events and the other to support research at earlier stages), an interdisciplinary research grant option, and the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards supporting early career faculty in their dual roles as researchers and educators. (Source: 2020 PAPPG, pp. II 34-46)

Proposals are submitted electronically through NSF’s FastLane System. This system is also used for award reporting, and to perform award searches. NSF and other federal agencies are working toward a new proposal processing system called Research.gov; when fully functional, this new system will replace FastLane.

FY 2019 Awards/Success Rates

This past year, NSF reviewed 41,033 grant proposals and made 11,252 new awards, resulting in a 27% overall 

funding rate. The average award size in FY2019 was $197,530 (total costs). NSF has over 54,000 active awards in its portfolio. (Source: NSF FY2019 Agency Financial Report, MD&A – p. 6, 16-17)

Contact with Program Officers (POs):

NSF encourages Principal Investigator (PIs) to interact with Program Officers who are experts in their fields. POs often help prospective PIs best situate their proposals to meet program objectives. NSF POs exercise considerable power – they control their own budgets, decide on type of review process, select reviewers, and make the funding recommendations after analysis of reviewer comments. A valued tradition at NSF is that, in addition to permanent program officers, the agency also brings in academic scientists and engineers who serve as POs on a temporary basis (known as rotators), bringing fresh perspective to the agency and serving as NSF ambassadors when they return to their home institutions. (Source: NSF FY2019 Agency Financial Report, MD&A – p. 8)

Resources:

Know Your Agency Brief: National Science Foundation - ORDE

National Science Foundation