Can't say it in 6 pages? Don't load up the Appendix!

The new NIH page limits that took effect in 2010 significant cut the length allowance for R01, R03, and R21 applications. This modification has proved difficult for some researchers to adapt to. For parent R01 proposals, what was previously a 25 page research plan is now cut down to 12 pages plus a 1 page aims section. There is much less space to get your point across and convince reviewers that your idea is the best, most innovative, and most worthy of their praise and ultimately NIH funding. This new page limit was created mainly to decrease the burden on reviewers, who devote hours of their time to reading and critiquing applications. The result, unfortunately, is that some researchers have decided to look for a way around the shorter page limits. Instead of following the rules, they prefer to try to sneak one past NIH and put extra information into other sections of the proposal. This is a terrible idea, and one that is sure to backfire and annoy reviewers. Perhaps the first place investigators seek to add extra information is in the Appendix section. Many years ago, placing materials in the Appendix was routinely done to avoid page limit requirements. NIH grew wise to this, however, and over the years began to more tightly regulate what can be included in the Appendix section. Now the instructions are very clear. Ignoring the instructions and trying to pull a fast one may be viewed as being unresponsive to the directions. In an agency that may refuse to score your application because you haven't followed proper font or margin requirements, do you really want to take a chance on including erroneous information in the Appendix?

Here are some excerpts from the SF424 instructions on the Appendix section:

• Only one copy of appendix material is necessary. Use the Add Attachments button to the right of this field to complete this entry.
• A maximum of 10 PDF attachments is allowed in the Appendix. If more than 10 appendix attachments are needed, combine the remaining information into attachment #10. Note that this is the total number of appendix items, not the total number of publications. When allowed there is a limit of 3 publications that are not publicly available (see below for further details and check the FOA for any specific instructions), though not all grant activity codes allow publications to be included in the appendix.
• Do not use the appendix to circumvent the page limits of the Research Strategy. For additional information regarding Appendix material and page limits, please refer to the NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-10-077.

Items that must not be included in the appendix:

• Photographs or color images of gels, micrographs, etc., are no longer accepted as Appendix material. These images must be included in the Research Strategy PDF. However, images embedded in publications are allowed.
• Publications that are publicly accessible. For such publications, the URL or PMC submission identification numbers along with the full reference should be included as appropriate in the Bibliography and References cited section, the Progress Report Publication List section, and/or the Biographical Sketch section.

I have seen researchers actually add entire sections to the Appendix to conform to the old sections A-D requirements.  If you write an extra section and include it in the Appendix, at best it will be ignored and not reviewed.  At worst, your application will be labeled nonresponsive to the requirements, and the entire application will be rejected.  This is not worth the risk.  Shorten your research plan and follow the rules like everyone else.

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. 

Oh no! I am over the page limit! Help!

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 advice on length (size matters!)

Since I just got off the phone and finished giving this advice I thought I should share it with the rest of the blog universe: When writing your grant proposal, it is much easier to cut material than to go back and add more material. Chopping is simpler than creating! So as you work on your grant proposal, dissertation, letter to the editor, or psychotic manifesto, just put all of your ideas and information on paper. Don't worry about section or page limits until after you have finished a first draft and are able to take a break from the document for a short period of time, then review it with a clear head for cuts that can be made.

If you are concerned about having to go back and change your reference citations if any are removed, my response is- you shouldn't be! With EndNote, RefWorks, and so many similar products on the market right now, there is no excuse for you to be numbering citations by hand! Create a great database of papers that you may need to cite, and these programs make it very easy to go back and make text edits later.