Proposal Formatting Guidelines and Tips INBRE Grant Writing Workshops 2015

Session’s Goals  Review NIH page and text-formatting specifications (see PHS SF 424 (R&R) Forms Version C Application Guide, Part I, § 2.6: Format Specifications for Text (PDF) Attachments).PHS SF 424 (R&R) Forms Version C Application Guide  Offer some advice on preparing an audience-friendly document. INBRE Grant Writing Workshops 2015

Paper Size and Margins  Use standard paper size (8 ½" x 11).  ½-inch margins top, bottom, left, right.  No information should appear in the margins (e.g., no PI’s name, no page numbers). INBRE Grant Writing Workshops 2015

Allowable Fonts, Font Sizes, and Type Density  Choose from the following fonts:  Arial  Helvetica  Palatino Linotype  Georgia  Black font color only; point size: 11 points or larger  Font size in figure legends may be smaller (size not specified, but generally should be no smaller than 9-point type)  Use single line spacing  Type density  No more than 15 characters+spaces per linear inch  No more than six lines per vertical inch INBRE Grant Writing Workshops 2015

Advice from OGSP Preparing an Audience-Friendly Document  Use Arial font, 11 point, single spacing, without making lines justified to the right margin (as in a book or journal).  Do not use numerals (e.g., 1. Specific Aims) or letters (e.g., A. Specific Aims), or combinations thereof (e.g., B.1, B.1.1, etc.), in headings — they are superfluous.  Allow sufficient white space on pages, that is  Above and below headings  Between paragraphs  Use many shorter paragraphs, rather than having long, unbroken spans of text. INBRE Grant Writing Workshops 2015

Advice from OGSP Preparing an Audience-Friendly Document  Use descriptive headings to guide reviewers.  Use diagrams, schemes, flow charts to illustrate hypotheses, pathways, work flow (but don’t make them impossibly small).  Highlight (boldface, underlining, etc.) critical elements in the text that reviewers need to understand (but be sparing and focused).  Ensure the absence of grammatical and typographical errors. OGSP invites you to use the NIH SF424 Application Template file provided. INBRE Grant Writing Workshops 2015