Experienced grant writers know that reviewers are quick to decide whether they like or do not like the proposals they are reading. Therefore, much of the success of any given proposal rides on the strength of the first page--its capacity to "sell" the research idea to skeptical reviewers. This paper describes a writing technique designed to elicit…

The advancement of academic resarch productivity should be accomplished systematically using the following five steps: (1) determine the research fit within the institutional mission; (2) identify the extent of research involvement; (3) identify necessary staff and associated costs; (4) allocate institutional funds; and (5) monitor and evaluate…

In response to increasing costs and growing reliance on external funding for college faculty research, a plan for promoting faculty success in gaining financial support for research is proposed. The plan is based on information in the literature concerning prerequisites for success in getting external support. (Author/MSE)

Describes GRANT, an expert system for finding sources of funding given research proposals. The architecture of GRANT and the implementation of constrained spreading activation (a modified search algorithm based on semantic memory) are described, and recall and precision rates are analyzed. (Author/LRW)

The 200th anniversary of the United States Constitution offers a singular occasion for encouraging renewed scholarly interest in and public reflection about the principles and foundations of constitutional government. Toward that end, this publication presents categories and guidelines within each of the National Endowment for the Humanities…

Discusses the characteristics of applicants, their experience, satisfaction with proposal review, and the analysis of survey results. (CW)

Announces and presents highlights from a new report from NSF "Proposal Review at NSF: Perceptions of Principal Investigators." This report presents the results of a 1986 NSF survey of 14,000 applicants from academic institutions whose proposals for research support had been awarded or declined during 1985. (CW)

The State University of New York College at Brockport's experience in overcoming organizational challenges to implementing a successful sponsored research program is outlined step by step. A key to program success has been psychological support and supportive climate for faculty and staff through every stage of grant seeking. (Author/MSE)

This paper questions the assumption that junior faculty should write grant proposals and administer grants. It notes some pitfalls related to engaging in grantsmanship as a new faculty member. It then offers suggestions on grant proposal development, including have a positive attitude, manage time carefully, emphasize quality, and consider the…

Without support, financial, organizational and otherwise, the U.S. national IEA writing study would never have been conducted; however, implementation of the study was difficult. Planning for the study and its support commenced in 1980, coterminous with two important occurrences: the National Institute of Education pulled back on its interest in…

Because of the variety in the nature and interests of foundations, libraries often seek an understanding of several foundations' interests, funding history, future plans, and strategies in terms of their own needs before approaching a single foundation. A review of foundation giving within the past few years shows that construction and expansion…

This report presents the results of a survey conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in late 1986 of more than 14,000 applicants whose proposals for research support had been awarded or declined during fiscal year 1985. The principal purpose was to seek the views of individual investigators at academic institutions about NSF's…

This guide, intended primarily for new or inexperienced researchers, provides suggestions for obtaining and maintaining external funding from grants and contracts. It emphasizes that this effort requires considerable thought, ongoing planning, sound management, and clear decisions. The book uses the National Institutes of Health application and…

Information on the peer review process for the evaluation of federal grant proposals is presented to help college grants administrators and faculty develop good proposals. This guidebook provides an overview of the policies and conventions that govern the review and selection of proposals for funding, and details the review procedures of the…

There are many misconceptions about how funding decisions are made within federal agencies. Observations of how bias creeps into an otherwise objective evaluation process are presented, and hints are offered on improving the probability of receiving federal support. (Author/MLW)