Writing Good Grants

1. Writing Good Grants Office of Research Development December 2012

2. As found online. Note it should be called: How To Write Well

3. What we are going to talk about • How grant writing is different than other kinds of writing • Getting on a writing schedule • What is actually “writing” on that schedule • Why you must have time to edit • Rules of grammar – some popular “no longer the case” rules and what to do with them • Writing clearly • Writing coherently • The Abstract/Project Summary – you have to get it right • Pointers for the rest of your grant

4. Grant Proposals v. Other Forms of Academic Writing • What the writer and reader want is different • In a journal article • Readers wants to understand something new, further their work with your information or validate their theory • Writers want to further their work, build their reputation and build their CV • In a grant • Readers want to get through the pile of grants before the meeting • Writers want money but also to persuade the reader of the validity, reliability and significance of work yet to be done

5. Grant Writing: Meet your audience • In a hurry • Not being paid much (if anything) for their services • Have regular jobs (and lives) which require their attention • Do a lot of reading

6. Make your audience happy and embrace the differences • Most communications fail because the writer does not accommodate the audience. In the case of grants, you must: • Follow the guidelines • Use transitions • Go beyond however, consequently, furthermore, thus • Readers like old ideas at the beginning of a sentence and new ideas at the end – you can repeat a word or phrase from the previous sentence • Emphasize the main idea and let other ideas act as subordinates • Some reviewers go from the abstract to the budget. Some go from the abstract to the project description. Both must be strong. • Focus on the ‘so what?’ • The specifics of it

7. Surviving the writing process: Get on a schedule • Neither “awaiting the muse” nor “binge writing” works • Studies have shown the best way to write to maximize productivity (number of pages) and efficiency (number of ideas per page) is to schedule a regular block of time and treat it like a class or writing commitment (Krashen, 2002)

8. What is writing? • Reviewing the guidelines • Outlining • Reviewing the data • Developing a timeline • Editing • Budget development • Making images

9. Why you must have time to edit • Very few people get it right the first time • There is a great tradition in the history of the English language of writing unclearly • Poor English writing in serious discourse began in the middle of the 16th century • Dense academic writing was being criticized back in the 1660s • Usual causes of unclear writing: • Writers think complicated sentences must mean deep thinking • Writers are so terrified of drafting something that is “wrong” that they muddle themselves up • Writers know what they are talking about and don’t realize the readers aren’t following them • You can’t follow the rules I am about to present while you are writing • The first draft should be bad. You need to get the thoughts out there and then clean them up

10. Grammar rules: three kinds • Real rules: such as articles must precede nouns (it is the book and not book the) • These rules are not optional • Social rules: Standard English rather than nonstandard • He doesn’t have any money versus He don’t have no money • In grant writing, these rules are not optional • Invented rules • Folklore and Elegant Options • These rules are optional or even discouraged

11. Folklore Grammar Rules - Feel Free to Ignore Them • Don’t begin a sentence with and, because, or but • Use the relative pronoun that – not which – for restrictive clauses • A nonrestrictive clause modifies a noun naming a referent that you can identify without the information in that clause • ABCO Inc. ended its first bankruptcy, which it filed in 1997 • ABCO Inc sold a project that made millions (assuming ABCO made many projects and the clause that made millions restricts which one you are discussing • Windows will redline this in your work • Use fewer with nouns you can count and less with nouns you cannot • Use since and while to refer only to time, not to mean because or although

12. Elegant Option Grammar – May Result in Sounding Self-Consciously Formal • Don’t split infinitives • Splitting: They wanted to slightly conceal the fact…. • Not splitting: They wanted to conceal slightly the fact….. • Use whom as the object of a verb or preposition • Who am I writing for? • To whom am I writing? • The actual rule: use who when it is the subject of a verb in its own clause; use whom only when it is an object in its own clause • Beth trick: replace the word with he/him. If him sounds right, you want whom • The committee decided {} they should choose • Don’t end a sentence with a preposition • Exception: please, don’t end a sentence with at if possible • Use the singular with none and any • NOTE: Know your audience on these – if you know folks in your field are old school purists, then be a purist too.

13. Ten principles for writing clearly • Use the real grammatical rules and not the folklore • Use subjects to name the characters in your writing • Open your sentences with familiar units of information • Get to the main verb quickly • Avoid long introductory phrases and clauses • Avoid long abstract subjects • Avoid interrupting the subject-verb connection • Push new, complex units of information to the end of the sentence • Keep the same subject throughout • Be concise • Cut meaningless and repeated words and obvious implications • Put the meaning of phrases into one or two words • Prefer affirmative sentences to negative ones • Control sprawl • Write to others as you would have others write to you

14. Ten principles for writing coherently • In your introduction, motivate readers to read carefully by starting a problem they ought to care about • State your point, the solution to the problem, at or near the end of the introduction • In that point, introduce concepts you will develop in what follows • Make everything that follows relevant to your point • Make it clear where sections begin/end • Order parts in a way that make clear and visible sense to your readers • Open each section with its own short introductory sentence • Put the point of each section at the end of that opening segment • Begin sentences that form a unit with consistent topics/subjects • Creative old-new ties between sentences

15. Common problems • You turn your verbs into nouns • Verbs as nouns: Once upon a time, as a walk through the woods was taking place on the part of Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf’s jump out from behind a tree occurred, causing her fright • Verbs as verbs: Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood was walking through the woods, when the Wolf jumped out from behind a tree and frightened her • Your subjects/characters aren’t clear • Studies and genes and software can all be subjects/characters. • Take some time to determine what your subjects are • You are heavy on the jargon • Don’t make your reader feel stupid • Overuse of passive voice and metadiscourse • Passive: “The subjects were observed” • Metadiscourse: “I will show”/“I will explain” • Keep this in the introduction

16. The Abstract/Project Summary: You have to get it right • Keep in mind – the abstract must stand on its own and be understood by Congressional members, members of the public and members of the media • It may be the only thing reviewers read • The abstract must hold the attention of the expert reader and be clear to the lay reader • Opening line must be a hook of some sort – the why or who cares? • More than 17 million Americans suffer from type 2 diabetes, the seventh leading cause of death, with premenopausal obese and diabetic women at particular risk. • We posit that estrogens improve over-nutrition and/or angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced INS resistance in skeletal muscle and cardiovascular tissues via decreased S6K1-mediated Ser (P) of IRSs.

17. Abstract/Project Summary • Answers these questions: • Who will do the work? • What will be done? • Where will the work be done? • When will the activities be accomplished? • How will your results be evaluated and disseminated • Keep track of your word count/page limit • Goal of the abstract • To generate interest and excitement in your project

18. Writing Your Abstract

19. Proposal Logic: The Research Goal Reality Check

20. The Rest of it • Each solicitation is different • Follow the directions • Know the goals of the organization before you write • Prove you are an expert by: • Including details of the problems and references that show you understand the problem • Giving a brief background of the science • Be specific • Specific materials, structures, devices you will use/build • Specific methods you will use • Specific metrics you will use to determine success • Specific milestones you will achieve and when • Avoid boilerplate information – each section is a chance for you to discuss the project you are proposing. Use it to your advantage • Describe what each person on the project will contribute and how much time each will spend on the project • How outsiders can get input/guidance and how you will get that information out • A website is not enough • Get a colleague to read it for the science and an editor to read it for the grammar whenever possible

21. The Proposal Narrative • Begin with a large societal issue and narrow to the aspect of the issue you are addressing • Provide up-to-date background information and the current state of the problem • Why is your work necessary and whom will it serve? • Remember: wide audience • Review of how others have addressed aspects of this program/need and any problems with or gaps in these efforts • Do not just let the facts hang there – explain how your project will move beyond these efforts to solve a specific problem • Explain why your work needs to be done now and why it is innovative • Goals • A goal is abstract and conceptual (think thesis statement) • If you cannot define your goal in one or two simple statements, consider refining your project • One or two goals per proposal is usually enough • Objectives • What you are going to do to reach your goals • Can define projects or processes/benchmarks to be researched • Limit yourself to three or four realistic objectives that are concrete, narrow in focus and achievable • Think about writing your reports – these objectives will be what you are reporting on • Be specific with your timeline and activities • Flesh these out in your work plan or methods section

22. The Proposal Narrative • Pilot data – if you have it, use it! • Use it to link your past work with your future work • Use to present proof of the value of your current work • Another way to show you are the right PI for the project • Work Plan • In detail: who will do what, how, and when • Even in you are not asked for a timeline, create one – if for no other reason than for determining your budget • Highlight the experience of your team in both the key personnel section and budget narrative • Make the case that you are the ideal leader and you have a great team • What does your team have that no one else does? • What stuff (facilities and equipment) do they have access to? • A management/leadership plan is important – you have these great people- how will they collaborate?

23. The Proposal Narrative • Sustainability • How will the project continue after the grant is over? • Examples of institutional support (often the best proof of sustainability) • Offering you specialized training • Buying specific equipment • Providing lab space • Waiving tuition for your graduate students • Cultivating campus-wise programs • Adding faculty in your area • Releasing you from other duties to pursue this project • Evaluation of Outcomes and Impact • This is tied directly to your objectives • Spend 5 to 10 percent of your budget on project evaluation • Numerous methods are available • Survey, interviews, focus groups, test, document studies • Consider adding a statistician to your team • Data analysis is evaluation – consider pulling it out of methods and having an “Expected Results” section which can also mention the “Potential Problems”

24. The Proposal Narrative • Dissemination Plan • A good plan • Identifies groups that can benefit from your work and data • Explains how/why you will share your work with these groups • Identify what information you will share with each group • What the impact of sharing this work with be (how will these groups benefit) • Combines both active and passive dissemination • Active examples: conference presentations, writing articles for newsletters of relevant groups, hosting workshops • Passive examples: books, websites

25. The Proposal Narrative • Diversity Plan • Should demonstrate you, your department, school and institution recognize and embrace inclusiveness in areas such as race, gender, religion or socioeconomic status • Use what UT Dallas has • Office of Diversity & Community Engagement

26. Budget and Budget Justification • Often the second thing a reviewer reads • Tells the story of your project in parallel with your project narrative • Always double-check your math and that the numbers match the project and vice versa • Budget expenses should be related to the aims and methods of your project • Be realistic and reasonable • Do not pad the budget or skimp on it

27. The Package • Biosketches • Use the format the sponsor asks • Resources, Facilities and Organization Description • On the website • Mention what you will use and not just a laundry list of what is around • However, think broadly – if there is something about your environment that helps you with your project, mention it • Letters of support and commitment • Be substantive • You can draft letters of commitment (I have samples you can use) but give the people enough time to add their own words – great things appear that way

28. Make it readable • Try to keep your paragraphs under 10 lines • Limit sentences to about 15 words • Limit titles to 10 words • Allow extra space between paragraphs • Left-justified text • Use graphics and lists • Anticipate skimming, search reading and critical reading needs

29. Books you might find useful Grammar Focused • Elements of Style, William Strunk and E.B. White ISBN: 978-0-205-31342-6 • Woe is I, Patricia T. O’Conner ISBN: 978-1-59448-890-0 Editing Focused • Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Joseph M. Williams and Gregory G. Colomb ISBN: 978-0-205-74746-7 Writing Focused • Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott ISBN:  978-0-385-48001-7 • How to Write a Lot, Paul Silvia ISBN: 978-1-59147-743-3 • If You Want to Write, Brenda Ueland ISBN 978-9-650-06028-2 • On Writing, Stephen King ISBN 978-1-439-15681-0 • Write: 10 Days to Overcome Writer’s Block Period, Karen Peterson ISBN: 978-1-593-37503-4 Other/Motivational • The Craft of Research, Wayne C. Booth and Gregory G. Colomb ISBN: 978-0-226-06566-3 • The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown ISBN: 978-1-592-85849-1 • The Procrastinator’s Handbook, Rita Emmett ISBN: 978-0-802-77598-6

30. Questions? • Thanks for listening!

31. Contact • Beth Keithly • keithly@utdallas.edu • 972-883-4568 • Information I have you may find useful: • Project timelines • Problem statement resources • Developing concept papers • Talking to Program Officers • Setting up Pivot profiles (finding funding)