{"id":1079,"date":"2019-02-06T09:14:21","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T09:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialscienceresearchfunding.co.uk\/?p=1079"},"modified":"2019-02-06T09:14:21","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T09:14:21","slug":"mistakes-in-grant-writing-cut-and-paste-text","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socialscienceresearchfunding.co.uk\/?p=1079","title":{"rendered":"Mistakes in grant writing \u2013 cut and paste text"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A version of this article first appeared in\u00a0Funding Insight<\/a>\u00a0in November 2018 and is reproduced with kind permission of\u00a0Research Professional<\/a>. For more articles like this, visit www.researchprofessional.com<\/em><\/p>\n

Given the ever-expanding requirements of most research funding application forms, it\u2019s inevitable that applicants are tempted to pay less attention to some sections and end up writing text so generic, so bland, that it could be cut and pasted \u2013 with minimal editing of names and topics \u2013 into almost any other proposal.<\/p>\n

Resist that temptation. Using text that looks like it could be cut and pasted between proposals suggests that you haven\u2019t thought through the specifics of your project or fellowship, and it will make it seem less plausible as a result.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Content free<\/strong><\/p>\n

I often see responses that are so content free they make my heart sink. For example:<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0 \u201cWe will present the findings at major international conferences and publish in world class journals\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 \u201cThe findings will be of interest to researchers in A, B, and C.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0 \u201cThis is a methodologically innovative, timely, and original project which represents a step change in our understanding\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

4)\u00a0 \u201cWe will set up a project Twitter account and a blog, and with the support of our outstanding press office, write about our research for a general audience.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

5)\u00a0 \u201cFunding will enable me to lead my own project for the first time, and support me in making the transition to independent researcher\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

These claims might well be true and can read well in isolation. But they\u2019re only superficially plausible, and while they contain buzzwords that applicants think that funders are after, they\u2019re entirely content, evidence, and argument free.<\/p>\n

Self harm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why should you care? Because your proposal doesn\u2019t just have to be good enough to meet a certain standard, it has to be better than its rivals. If there are sections of your application that could be transferred into any rival application, this might be a sign that that section is not as strong or distinctive as it could be and is not giving you any competitive edge.<\/p>\n

Cut and paste sections may be actively harming your chances. They may read well in isolation but when compared directly to more thoughtful and more detailed sections in rival applications, they can look weak and lazy, especially if they don\u2019t take full advantage of the word count.<\/p>\n

Cut and pasteable text tends to occur in the trickier sections of the application form to write and those that get less attention: dissemination; impact pathway\/plan; academic impact; personal development plan; data management plan; choice of host institution. Sometimes these generic statements emerge because the applicants don\u2019t know what to write, and sometimes because it\u2019s all they can be bothered to write for a section they wrongly regard of lesser importance.<\/p>\n

Give evidence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Give these sections the time, attention and thought they deserve. Add details. Add specifics.\u00a0 Add argument.\u00a0 Add evidence. Find things to say that only apply to your application.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know how to answer a question strongly, get advice from your research development colleagues.<\/p>\n

The more editing it would take to put it into someone else\u2019s bid, the better. Here are some thoughts on improving the earlier examples:<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0 \u201cWe will present the findings at major international conferences and publish in world class journals\u201d.<\/em> I find it hard to understand vagueness about plans for academic impact. Even allowing for the fact that the findings of the research will affect plans, it\u2019s surely not too much to expect some target journals and conferences to be named. If applicants can\u2019t demonstrate knowledge of realistic targets, it undermines their credibility.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 \u201cThe findings will be of interest to researchers in A, B, and C.\u201d <\/em>I\u2019d ban the phrase \u201cof interest to\u201d when explaining potential academic impact. It tells the reader nothing about the likely academic impact \u2013 who will cite your work, and what difference do you anticipate it will make to the field?<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0 \u201cThis is a methodologically innovative, timely, and original project which represents a step change in our understanding\u201d <\/em>Who will use your methods? Who will use your frameworks? If all research is standing on the shoulders of giants, how much further can future researchers see perched atop your work? How exactly does your project go beyond the state of the art, and what might be the new state of the art after your project?<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0 \u201cWe will set up a project Twitter account and a blog, and with the support of our outstanding press office, write about our research for a general audience.\u201d <\/em>If you\u2019re talking about engaging with social media, talk about how you are going to find readers and\/or followers. What\u2019s your plan for your presence in terms of the existing ecosystem of social media accounts that are active in this area? Who are the current key influencers?<\/p>\n

5)\u00a0 \u201cFunding will enable me to lead my own project for the first time, and support me in making the transition to independent researcher\u201d. <\/em>How does funding take you to what\u2019s next? What\u2019s the path from the conclusions of this project to your future research agenda?<\/p>\n

Looking for cut and paste text \u2013 and improving it where you find it \u2013 is an excellent review technique to polish your draft application, and particularly to improve those harder-to-write sections. Hammering out the detail is more difficult, but it could give you an advantage in the race for funding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A version of this article first appeared in\u00a0Funding Insight\u00a0in November 2018 and is reproduced with kind permission of\u00a0Research Professional. For more articles like this, visit www.researchprofessional.com Given the ever-expanding requirements of most research funding application forms, it\u2019s inevitable that applicants are tempted to pay less attention to some sections and end up writing text so … Continue reading “Mistakes in grant writing \u2013 cut and paste text”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16,8,10,6,21,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-application-advice","category-career-young-researchers","category-frustrations","category-funding","category-social-media","category-university-culture"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t