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Proposal
and Submission Guidelines
Format
All proposals must be submitted by your institution's Sponsored Research
Office through Fastlane, NSF's web-based system. Please go to http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov
for details.
Maximum Length
of the Proposal's Project Description
15 single-spaced pages
This page limit is strictly enforced by the Foundation. Tables and figures
as well as appendices are now included in the 15-page limit. See the Grant
Proposal Guide guidelines for further details. It is appropriate to include
brief samples of questionnaires in an appendix, but explicit permission
for appendices must be obtained from the Program Officer and documented
as such in the proposal.
Content of the
Project Description
The Project Description should be a detailed research design. It should
clearly indicate the research question, the importance of the theoretical
contribution of and motivation for the research, and the methodology that
will be used to answer the question. The research design should be as
specific as possible.
Review Process
Each proposal normally receives at least 3 written advisory reviews. Each
proposal is sent to about 6 outside reviewers and is also evaluated by
a Program's Advisory Panel. The Advisory Panels are composed of scientists
representing a range of subfields in that Program.
Evaluation Criteria
NSF uses two broad criteria of scientific merit in the selection of research
projects for funding, the intellectual merit and the broader impacts of
the proposed activities:
Intellectual merit
is interpreted by the program as having three components:
- Theoretical significance,
or the importance of the project in advancing conceptual understanding
within cultural anthropology or allied fields of social science.
- Research competence,
or the qualifications of the investigator to conduct the project, as
shown by the quality of prior work.
- Research design
and methodology, or the ability of the specific activities described
to actually advance our knowledge of the theoretical issues.
The broader impacts
of the proposed activities refers to the project's ability to benefit
society at large in any of a number of ways, encompassing enhancing scientific
understanding through broad dissemination; promoting teaching, training
and learning; broadening the participation of underrepresented groups;
and enhancing the infrastructure for research and education, such as networks
and partnerships.
Another way of thinking
of scientific merit is for researchers to ask themselves these questions:
- What theoretical
question will your new data answer?
- What does the
literature lead you to expect the outcome to be?
- What data will
you gather to assess the empirical situation?
- How will you analyze
the data to see if your theoretical expectation is supported or contradicted?
- Why should society-at-large
be interested in the new knowledge your project creates?
Percentage of
Proposals Funded
About 25%
Average Size of
a Funded Project
About $65,000, (including indirect costs) though PIs should request the
amount of funding necessary to complete the project successfully. It usually
helps to discuss specific budget questions with the program officer.
Typical Duration
of Projects
2 Years, though NSF encourages projects of longer duration when the multi-year
activities are explicitly justified.
Common
Terms
Target
Date
A date identifying the day by which proposals are expected to be received
by NSF for the current funding cycle. Proposals received after the target
date will be reviewed but the review may be delayed until the next review
cycle.
Deadline
Deadlines are cutoff dates after which proposals usually will not be accepted
for review by NSF. In special competitions for which deadlines have been
set, the program typically does not have the authority to waive this requirement.
Deadlines identified in proposal solicitations are enforced.
Publication Requests
You may request printed NSF publications by sending an email message to
pubs@nsf.gov. When making a request,
please include the following information:
- NSF publication
number,
- number of copies;
and
- your complete
mailing address.
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