Common Proposal Mistakes

Sponsors want to know the money they invest will be spent effectively, appropriately, and have significant impact. Listed below are the most common proposal mistakes, according to sponsors. These mistakes can negatively affect, or even prevent, the review of a proposal.

• Not following the requirements in the guidelines.
    1. Margins and font size are non-compliant
    2. Page limit(s) exceeded
    3. Unallowable expenses included in budget
    4. Requested order not followed in biographical sketch

• Proposal attempts to do too much.
    1. Reviewers are aware of what is possible within the
        proposed budget.
    2. Provide evidence that what is being proposed can
        be delivered. Include preliminary data to establish
        credibility and gain the confidence of reviewers.

• Proposal written by only one person
    1. Colleague/advisor/mentor feedback is essential
    2. Ideas and contributions can come from many people –
        ask for help.
    3. Ask someone else to proofread the proposal.

• Proposal does not show clear understanding of
   methods, equipment needed for project.
    1. Demonstrate familiarity with pertinent literature,
        equipment needed and proper methodology
    2. Show that the problem is not more complex than
        realized. Discuss potential problems that may occur
        and plans to overcome these obstacles.

• Proposal does not clearly convey the purpose, plan,
   significance of the research
    1. Circulate proposal to colleagues and mentors for
        constructive criticism to strengthen the proposal.
    2. Describe how the research will address a problem
        or gap in scientific knowledge. Convince the reviewers
        of the significance and need of the project.

• Proposal does not address outcome
    1. Explain the broader impact of the project

• Proposal has incomplete biographical sketches of key
   collaborators/specialists on the project
    1. Clearly show the qualifications of the research team
    2. Clear up any conflicts of interest

• NIH/human subjects: many researchers fail to address
    gender, minority, and ethnic group inclusion. All NIH
    applications involving human subjects must discuss if
    gender, racial or ethnic differences are relevant to the
    research question. In multiple-project studies, this
    question must be addressed in each subsection of the
    application.