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Proposal Writing Guides
How to Write a Grant Proposal: A Selected Bibliography
So much grant-writing advice exists that a comprehensive bibliography is impossible. However, the books and electronic resources listed below are recent and concise and therefore make good starting points.
NASA Guidebook
National Science Foundation
- Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPP), January 2008
Web Link
This guide provides specific NSF requirements for proposal preparation, including such issues as font choice, margins, and biosketches, as well as definitions and a list of acronyms. Those wanting general grant writing advice should see the “Guide for Proposal Writing.”
This 23-page booklet contains general advice for proposal writers. It is distinct from the agency’s policies and procedures guide listed above.
- NSF’s 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation
Web Link
Paul G. Chapin, Research Projects and Research Proposals: A Guide for Scientists Seeking Funding (Cambridge UP, 2004).
Written by a former NSF program director, this book offers guidance on choosing research topics, planning projects, and managing grants, as well as on NSF’s funding mechanisms. It also includes chapters about the different government agencies funding scientific research and research ethics.
National Institutes of Health
Otto Yang, Guide to Effective Grant Writing: How to Write an Effective NIH Grant Application. Springer, 2005.
This book is most useful for those applying for NIH funding. and includes topics such as types of NIH funding (F, R, and K grants) and the sections of a standard NIH grant. It also explains the review process, gives advice for responding
to reviewers, and discusses competing renewals. Finally, Yang presents common errors and emphasizes the importance of organizing and designing the proposal for the convenience of reviewers.
Department of Energy
Foundations
- Proposal Writing Short Course from the Foundation Center
Web Link
Richard Johnson-Sheehan, Writing Proposals: Rhetoric for Managing Change (Pearson/Longman, 2007).
Taking a rhetorical approach, this guide from a Purdue faculty member offers a somewhat broader perspective than Chapin or Yang and considers proposals for business, local government, and foundations
Other Resources and Bibliographies
Handbook of Technical Writing. 8th edition, by Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu. Bedford/St. Martin’s, © 2006. ISBN: 978-0312309237 or located in the Engineering and Vet Med libraries (808.0666 B838h 2006).
Ann M. Penrose and Steven B. Katz’s Writing in the Sciences (Pearson/Longman, 2004) includes a chapter on “Writing Research Proposals.” Located in Engineering: 808.0665 P386w 2004
Academic Fundraising Web Resources (Michigan State University Library)
http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/4acfrais.htm
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