Experienced grant writers know that reviewers are quick to decide whether they like or do not like the proposals they are reading. Therefore, much of the success of any given proposal rides on the strength of the first page--its capacity to "sell" the research idea to skeptical reviewers. This paper describes a writing technique designed to elicit…

Conventional wisdom says that the way to win more awards is to get researchers writing more proposals. Yet many incentives designed to stimulate proposal development can be hard on the bottom line, especially those that pay researchers for their time or to attend grant-writing workshops presented by outside consulting firms. This paper presents…

This report presents the results of a survey conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in late 1986 of more than 14,000 applicants whose proposals for research support had been awarded or declined during fiscal year 1985. The principal purpose was to seek the views of individual investigators at academic institutions about NSF's…

Diminishing resources have sent colleges and universities searching for innovative ways to increase external funding. Proposal development workshops to increase the number of individuals competent to submit competitive proposals were offered at the University of Oklahoma. Experiences in developing a model program are described. (Author/MLW)

Discusses the development of a computer laboratory for sociology courses, as well as some advantages and disadvantages of incorporating computer technology into the classroom. Examines the proposal and proposal-review process. Provides tips for writing a successful proposal. (MJP)

Assists writers in getting started, organizing material effectively, and producing high quality technical documents. Uses a nine-block information matrix to provide a system of checks to evaluate the paper. Indicates that each section of the matrix can be written separately and then combined into a coherent document. (Author/MVL)

This article describes the federal grant funding process for initial special education career researchers, including discussions of research priority development, the application review process, review criteria, characteristics of projects funded in recent competitions, and recommendations to improve researchers' ability to write competitive…