NSF CAREER Workshop Proposal Preparation THE BURDEN ALWAYS LIES WITH YOU!

5 Key aspects Clarity Organization Detail Scope, Impact and Timeline Presentation

Clarity – State important concepts and ideas EXPLICITLY – Do not rely on referee to extract significance from context Organization – Use a nested outline several layers deep – Front load important ideas and innovations – Summarize key hypotheses and specific aims early – Break longer portions into concisely-written sub- sections; consider using bulleted/numbered lists – Use natural, field-appropriate “boundaries” (experiments, field studies, programs, devices, etc.) to “granularize” research description

Detail – Novel/innovative components of proposal will require more detailed descriptions – Balance between adding enough detail to guarantee clarity, without becoming pedantic – Use illustrative examples/preliminary to clarify complicated concepts – Include examples of possible obstacles/pitfalls with proposed work-arounds or alternative strategies Scope, Impact and Timeline – Scope  find balance of ambition and practicality – Impact  state projected impact concisely and explicitly – Timeline  consider adding milestones  self- assessment – Summarize “state of project” at end of 5-year cycle

Presentation – Use bold and italics to draw attention to important ideas & break up blocks of text – Bulleted lists are referee-friendly  collect and emphasize related groups of important points – Figures and Tables should be set apart with descriptive captions & references in main body PROOFREAD EARLY AND OFTEN! BE HARD ON YOURSELF! ITERATE SEVERAL TIMES!