Common typos that spell check may miss

Now you are getting down to the wire.  Your proposal for the June deadline is almost finished, and you have followed my advice on timing so you are at the point of proofreading.  Right?  Or it is midnight the night before your proposal is due and you are frantically reading this as you try to finish cutting your 14 pages down to 12.  Either way, this information will be helpful. 

Many typos occur as we type words we use often in place of the words we actually are trying to use.  In fact, some of our colleagues study exactly what goes into making a typo, and attempt to study commonalities in misspellings and typing mistakes.  (For a very interesting example involving typos and misplaced patient files, read this.)  So, if your brain is wired to be prone to errors in spelling and typing, what are you supposed to do?  Unfortunately, apple has not yet invented an app for smart editing that will replace words with the words you meant to use.  Instead, you need to do some good old-fashioned proof reading and read your document word for word.  It is also critical to have another person read the document, as they may be able to catch  mistakes that you have missed after staring at the text for hours.  Some of these may be mistakes that you have made.  Others may be incorrect corrections made to your misspellings by spell checking tools.

Some common substitutions to look for include:

• off - of
• now - know
• read - red
• led - lead
• sign - sing
• month - moth
• manger - manager
• own - won
• assess - asses
• aspire - inspire
• many - manly
• assay - any
• cellular - cellulose
• calendar - colander
• an - and
• from - form

The possibilities are endless.  These are only the most common that I have seen in my review of proposals.  While some typos can be forgiven by reviewers, you don't want an embarassing typo to overshadow your great work.  As you write, make sure to leave time for this crucial proofreading before you make your final Grants.gov submission.  You don't want to be the poor soul who substitutes circumcised for circumscribed.

Is a Target Enrollment Table required for a project using secondary data?

This question comes up often.  The Target Enrollment Table is designed to provide a breakdown of race and hispanic/nonhispanic ethnicity of your study population.  Whether you are enrolling and consenting project participants or reviewing de-identified patient charts, you should still be able to provide a projected breakdown of your anticipated number of subjects in each categories. 

Yes, this may be just one more piece in the large puzzle of an application package that you are putting together, but consider how much this data protects us.  A requirement to display diversity in targeted subject enrollment (or to explain a lack of any diversity) prevents research from being focused on only one particular racial or ethnic group unless there is compelling reason for such exclusion.  So, as you dust off your old TI-85 and try to remember which button is for multiplication, remember that this extra form is helping to maintain equality in research and prevent some populations from being excluded from research.

Refill Required Baby Creeper

As the June deadline approaches and I try to keep my sanity, I am enjoying shopping for baby gifts for a fellow scientist.  This one really made me laugh:

The Refill Required Baby Creeper is one of many funny onesies that I have seen around the internet.  Of course there are quite a few takes on the Star Trek uniform as well.  What a great way to procrastinate!

This might make you rethink your degree...

In the latest new flash regarding cancer diagnosis, a 15 year old from Maryland with no PhD or even a high school diploma, has won a $75,000 science fair prize for a new test to detect early-stage pancreatic cancer:  Md. teen wins national prize for creating pancreatic cancer test | Medical Alert - WBAL Home.  The parent in me is very happy for this boy and his family, and excited to see what develops from his talents in the future.  The scientist in me, of course, wants to know more about how the device was developed, how it works, and most importantly, how he tested it to come up with his roughly 90% stated accuracy rate. 

NIH is taking a new approach to spread the wealth

In a recently-released notice, NIH announced its intent to pilot the new Special Council Review program that will apply to investigators who receive $1.5M of funding or more per year.  Essentially, this review will consist of a special panel that will help to decide whether the well-funded investigator really, REALLY needs any extra projects or money when he or she already has significant funding.  Though I am not sure I like this socialist type of approach, I do support any policy that will help to make it easier for newer investigators and junior faculty to obtain funding.  In theory, resources would not be hoarded by a few superstars, but rather would be more spread out across research fields.  However, just as experienced PIs have taken advantage of the new investigator advantages by allowing large projects to be led by their less-experienced colleagues (though still essentially running the show), I am sure there will be some who find a way around this policy too.  To really have an effective policy that supports the development of younger investigators, I believe that the small well-funded group that this policy targets (similar to the "1%") should be prohibited from serving in any capacity other than consultants on other grants during the time they are receiving $1.5M or more per year in funding.  That would keep them from taking more than their fair share of NIH resources, and give some non-superstars a chance to shine. 

Consultant for hire - will work for beer!

Adding consultants to NIH projects can often be a confusing task, and can require some awkward conversations with your collaborators. One important item to note is that consultants can be paid whatever is considered "reasonable".  In other words, don't hire someone for what amounts to 5 hours of data review for $20,000, but work out a cost estimate that fits into your budget and is acceptable to the person.  I have seen arrangements where consultants were paid a few thousand dollars plus travel costs, and others where consultants agreed to work for free.  One consultant even agreed to work for free as long as when he came to town for the grant's yearly meetings, his tequila was on the PI's tab. Talk to your collaborators and see what they are comfortable with, and don't be afraid to ask them to work for lower pay if your budget is tight.  Throw in washing their car and you might just have yourself a deal...

How To Get Tenure at a Major Research University

I came across this interesting article: How To Get Tenure at a Major Research University.  The article provides some great advice on steps to take to get tenured.  Though some of the advice is common sense, some points might suprise you.  Of course, included on this list is my personal favorite- Get Grants!

Don't try to shove things where they don't belong!

With the June deadlines fast approaching, some of you may be in panic mode.  You may be frantically trying to get all of the knowledge out of your head and into the 12 page research strategy.  Or perhaps you are desperately trying to cut pages down to make the 6 page limit for your R03.  Either way, don't let your panic cloud your better judgement.  You need to follow the page limits, as does everyone else who applies for a grant from any funder, not just NIH.  The requirements are in place to make things uniform and help to ensure a fair and consistent review.  Read some of my previous advice on shortening paragraphs and editing proposals.  Also, read this older post that explains why you should not try to hide extra information in the Appendix to circumvent page limits. 

Research Focus: Duke University studies of exposure to flame retardants

In recent months, some well-publicized findings have come out of Duke University regarding children's exposure to flame retardants.  In April, news articles highlighted research conducted by Dr. Heather Stapleton that found a variety of toxic chemicals, including flame retardants, in many widely-used baby products.  Dr. Stapleton likened the presence of the chemicals in these products to lead paint exposures that occured before the use of lead paint was banned.  She further suggests that it is possible to avoid flame retardant-laden products by avoiding products with labels that state that the product is compliant with California's flame retardant requirements.  (As a parent, this is very helpful, as I will now actively seek out products online and in catalogues that are labeled "Not available in California".)

Another study coming out of Duke has been in the news in recent days.  In this study, also overseen by Dr. Stapleton, exposure to toxic chemicals including flame retardants was shown to vary by socioeconomic status and race.  In other words, kids who are poor or minorities were significantly more likely to have higher concentrations of toxic chemicals in their bodies.  In fact, compared to white children, minority children were shown to have almost double the amount of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in their blood.  Even more fascinating is that the disparitiy could not be explained simply by differences in the children's current home environments. 

For more information about this and other similar research studies at Duke, visit this link.  Of course, from a grants perspective, I am very impressed that so much press and public awareness has been generated by a project that was started with only a $2.2 million NIH grant.

Making a brain video would be fun...

The Society for Neuroscience is currently running the Brain Awareness Video Contest.  Videos should illustrate a concept about the brain in a way that can be used as a teaching aid.  I could have so much fun putting together a video for this contest!  Maybe I could rap about the corpus callosum, or take a video of my lack of balance on inline skates to show the importance of the cerebellum.  The possibilities are endless!  Of course, videos can be made by anyone but must be submitted by a SFN member.  As a non-member, I guess I will have to sit this one out.  There's always YouTube! 

Ode to Grants.gov

Grants.gov, my friend, my honey,
The one who helps me to get my money,
Please help me today,
with this one grant submission,
So to my portfolio,
I can make one addition,
When I hit "Submit",
please don't delay,
I have only 5 minutes,
and it's deadline day,
Yes, it's last-minute,
but I've done this before,
Making late edits,
there is always one more,
So please Grants.gov,
if you do this, then surely,
Next time I promise I will try to be early.


                 - Grant P. Writer

Need advice on cutting your proposal to meet page limits?

This is a repost from a while back, but with the June NIH deadlines fast approaching, it is definitely worth a read.  Before you start cutting important pieces from your R01 proposal or shoving R03 information in an Appendix (which is not allowed), take a look at this advice. 

Are you struggling to cut from 7 pages down to 6? Have you read your research plan 10 times, trying desperately to figure out how and where to cut? Don't panic. Take a deep breath, minimize your Word document on your screen, and trying goofing off for 5 minutes. (Yes, I am suggesting that you procrastinate in order to get your work done!)
First, what not to do. Do not start to think you are a Microsoft Word Master of the Universe. Any trick you can think of- shrinking margins to 0.495, shrinking text to 10.9, decreasing spacing so that lines are almost on top of each other- has already been tried and denied. Second, do not start deleting important pieces of your application just to save space. Third, and perhaps most important, do not start cutting from your research plan and trying to put the text in your Resources section or Appendix. (NIH recently announced that they are cracking down on this practice too.)

So, what's an aspiring scientist to do? Fortunately, there are methods of shortening your research strategy section that do follow NIH rules. Here are some options:

1. Tables and Charts are your friend. There are no text size requirements for tables and charts, as long as they are clear and legible. Have a long list of information? Try turning it into a table to save some space.


2. Check your text wrapping on tables, charts, and images. In many cases you can wrap text to one side or another of a graphic and create more space. Just remember to keep your image/table/chart together with the paragraph that references it. It will make it easier for reviewers to follow.
3. Using Track Changes and a thesaurus, attack your document from an editor's perspective. Rather than looking for content to remove, look for places where you may have a description that is very wordy, or may be able to convey the same message using shorter words or phrases.

If all else fails, talk to a seasoned proposal assistant or research administrator at your institution. An experienced person may be able to take a look and offer more advice on cutting. Don't have one? Email me at grantpwriter "AT" (replace with @) gmail.com and we can see if there is a way for me to help.

My iPod Shuffle is a fabulous cure for writer's block

Some days, it is hard to get started on my writing.  You may face this as you work on drafting your research plan or editing papers.  On dreary, rainy days like today, I rely on Mr. iPod Shuffle to help me get going.  Today, he decided that what I really needed to pump me up for a long afternoon of writing was a little Faith Evans.  Given the diversity of songs on my player, it could just as easily have been Tom Jones or Collin Raye, but I am going to go with it and keep typing away.  So far it is working.  So take a lesson from Mr. iPod, get into the beat, and start writing!  That June 5th R01 deadline is less than a month away!

Is anyone hiring medical researchers and support staff?

I was dismayed to read this article today: University of Miami med school laying off 800 - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com.  Apparently due to lack of funding, UMiami is laying of 800 people by the end of July.  This will include research and administrative staff.  I don't know which departments are taking the biggest hits, but suffice it to say, there are going to be many talented and intelligent people on the job market.  Considering the DoD money that flows into their medical simulation center, I am surprised that their funding outlook is this dismal.  I hope that in laying off their administrative staff they do manage to keep research administrators, who aid in grant proposal submissions and thus can help to bring more money into the medical school. 

NIH allows electronic supplement requests

If you are fortunate enough to have followed all of my advice and obtained funding for an NIH grant, you may be interested in knowing that NIH now allows electronic supplement requests.  Until fairly recently, the process for requesting a supplement was either confusing, complicated, or unbelievably easy, depending on the institute or center and program officer you were dealing with.  This new process will streamline supplement requests and hopefully make life easier for researchers everywhere.  For a great podcast titled "Submitting Supplements Electronically", created by NIH, click here. 

Lack of ladies in science

In this article, Science Has a Girl Problem, and the accompanying video, some alarming statistics are presented regarding the number of women in the scientific workforce.  According to the article, less than 25% of jobs in scientific careers such as research and engineering are filled by women.  What is to blame for this gender gap?  According to one earth-shattering quote from the article "In the classroom setting, a lot of the people who raise their hands are boys."   Really, Money?  This is the best you can offer in terms of explaining the gap in positions and pay? 

Here is my attempt at an explanation.  Perhaps part of the issue is raising families.  Many careers in science and technology require education and experience far beyond a Bachelor's degree, and long work hours and travel are expected.  For many women who choose to balance a career with having children, high-ranking careers in science and technology limit time with their family and make it difficult to be both a mother and an employee.  Perhaps if the American way of thinking about work were to change, and it became acceptable to put family before work even in high level positions, more women would be prone to pursue these careers.  Maybe it is me speaking as a mother when I say this, but I would much rather have more time with my kids than a larger paycheck.

Let Mr. Wizard help you with your research strategy

Mr. Wizard knew how to take the most basic of experiments and turn them into science lessons that children could understand.  How many budding scientists were inspired as kids by the amazing things they learned from Mr. Wizard?  Now, as you try to explain your complicated R03 research plan in 1 page of specific aims and a 6 page research strategy section, take a lesson from Mr. Wizard.  Even this brief, 4 minute lesson has been explained by some commenters as a lesson in global warming and climate change.  In short, SIMPLIFY.  Include the basics and enough detail to get your point across to the reader.  Just look at how impactful this experiment was with nothing but ice, water, and a glass. 

Get me to Godiva!

How did I miss this?  In March, researchers published a study showing that people who eat chocolate more frequently are more likely to have a lower BMI.  More in-depth research on this topic is forthcoming, but for now this is a great excuse to hit up Godiva and indulge in a few chocolate covered strawberries.  If I knew that eating chocolate was the secret to staying thin, I would not have wasted so much time eating tasteless protein bars and drinking chalky smoothies for breakfast!  Another small victory for science!

Do I really need to include a cover letter with my grant application?

As I explained in another post, it can be quite beneficial to include a cover letter with your application when applying for a parent announcement.  When you have a general plan for your research strategy, look over the NIH institutes and centers to determine which may be the best fit for your particular project.  If necessary, talk to a program officer to obtain feedback and make sure that your project fits with the interests of the institute or center to which you plan to apply.  Then, look over the lists of reviewers available on the website of the institute or center.  (Yes, you can see a public listing of all of the people who may be selected to review your proposal.)  After you have done this homework, sit down and write a cover letter to include with your application.  The cover letter should include an explanation of the expertise needed to review your particular project.  You should list the institute or center that you feel would be the most appropriate assignment.  You can also request a particular review group, or request that a particular reviewer not be assigned to your application.  This is sometimes necessary in the case of competition or personality conflict. 

For more information and advice on the cover letter, visit the Center for Scientific Review. 

The letter should be attached in the "Cover Letter" (optional) section of the SF 424 application package.  Since it is an optional component, fail to include one will not generate any Grants.gov errors.  However, you will be missing out on an opportunity to ensure that your proposal has the best odds of receiving a favorable review.

Just In Time (JIT) Continues to Confuse Researchers

The most recent NIH Extramural Nexus discusses a new feature in the era commons that will send an automated email with a JIT request to PIs with scores of 40 or less.  In theory, this is a good idea, because it eliminates the need to check the commons to see if the JIT request appears after your score is posted.  However, as you can tell by reading the comments on the article, this is frustrating for many investigators.  Compiling information for a JIT request such as Other Support can be a time-consuming task, especially at larger institutions and when dealing with international collaborators.  This new feature has the potential to create a lot of work for many people that, in the end, will not result in funding. 

Just a reminder - getting a JIT request DOES NOT guarantee that your project will be funded.  It only means that you scored within "fundable range".  Don't pop the champagne yet! 

OK, I really mean it - go to Washington DC!

My previous post about the NIH Regional Seminar got me reminiscing about my last trip to the National Zoo.  Now I can't stop thinking about when to plan my next zoo trip.  Of course this is leading to procrastinating not only on my doctoral coursework, but also on the R03 that I am supposed to be writing. 

For those of you who are still putting off getting started for the June deadline, join me on my adventures in procrastination as I look at all the National Zoo has to offer.  At the Meet our Animals link, you can learn about the 2,000 animals and approximately 400 species that call the zoo home.  Admission to the zoo is free, though you will have to pay for parking if you are not a Friend of the National Zoo (FONZ).  Seriously, who wouldn't want to make a small donation just to be part of a group that calls itself FONZ?  Great choice of name!  You can plan your trip to the zoo here.  And no, I am not being paid for any advertising or promotion of the national zoo.  I doubt the Smithsonian needs any help in the marketing department.  I am just knee-deep in work and looking for a way to blow off some steam.  Some people dream of trips to the caribbean or Walt Disney World.  I, on the other hand, dream of visiting some pandas and giraffes and wandering a 163-acre park all day.