Proposal Editing Program – Scientific Editing Services

Purpose:

To increase external grant funding by providing access to discounted Nature/Springer Scientific Editing services to tenured/tenure track Principal Investigators who are:

1. applying for career awards (junior or mid-career);
2. resubmitting a proposal that received favorable feedback;
3. have been down-selected to submit a full proposal based on submission of a full preliminary proposal.

We note that individual faculty may visit the Nature/Springer website to purchase scientific editing services at regular rates outside the scope of our arrangement with Nature/Springer if your proposal does not meet our program eligibility criteria. Prices are determined by the word count of the document and the requested turnaround time (see pricing scale below

Scientific editing improves all aspects of scientific text – in particular the clarity and effectiveness of the scientific arguments by:

• Emphasizing the significance and potential impact of the work, including across disciplines;
• Ensuring that the proposal states a clear and appropriately justified aim, and that specific, clear and measurable objectives are provided that relate to that aim;
• Assessing how strongly the objectives are reflected in the description of the work to be undertaken; and
• Reviewing how well the methods and expected outcomes are communicated, and that risk and contingency planning are accounted for.

Eligibility for UofM Support:

Funding support to offset scientific editing costs that meets one of the three targets outline above may be requested by a University of Memphis faculty member who is serving as Principal Investigator on a proposal with a total budget (direct plus indirect costs) of at least $500,000 (lower threshold eligible if for a career development/early career proposal with a more limited budget – e.g. Air Force YIP). Funding of up to $2,500/fiscal year per eligible PI will be available.

How to Apply for Support:

·       Contact researchdev@memphis.edu to discuss your proposal and scientific editing needs a minimum of 45 days prior to the proposal deadline.

·       If you are requesting support for a resubmission, include your original proposal and review comments in your e-mail request to researchdev@memphis.edu.

·       Upon approval of your request, the University authorizes and submits the requested edit. The requesting faculty member will be responsible for any costs that exceed $2,500.

 For questions, contact Cody Behles (cbehles@memphis.edu).