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Is Specific Formatting of documents required for proposal submissions through grants.gov ?

Prepare your work in separate word documents using given formatting guidelines. We will compile the final proposal and inform you of missing sections.

Designed to maximize system-conducted validations, multiple separate attachments are required for a complete application. When the application is received by the agency, all submitted forms and all separate attachments are concatenated into a single document that is used by peer reviewers and agency staff. NIH and other PHS agencies require all text attachments to the Adobe application forms to be submitted as PDFs and that all text attachments conform to the agency-specific formatting requirements noted below.

Note to Investigators: Please do not send MPRC PDF files! Prepare your work in separate word files, following  the formatting requirement below; MPRC may need to edit your documents to ensure that all formatting guidelines are followed and cannot do so if sent to us in PDF form.

 

Font

Use an Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype, or Georgia typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 11 points or larger. (A Symbol font may be used to insert Greek letters or special characters; the font size requirement still applies.) Type density, including characters and spaces, must be no more than 15 characters per inch. Type may be no more than six lines per inch (MPRC WILL CHECK TYPE DEnSITY).

Note: For windows users: Please be aware that Microsoft word generally defaults to times new roman, which is not an approved font.


Page Margins

Use standard paper size (8 1/2" x 11). Use at least one-half inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages. No information should appear in the margins, including the PI’s name and page numbers.

 

Page Formatting

Since a number of reviewers will be reviewing applications as an electronic document and not a paper version, applicants are strongly encouraged to use only a standard, single-column format for the text. Avoid using a two-column format since it can cause difficulties when reviewing the document electronically. Do not include any information in a header or footer of the attachments. A header will be system-generated that references the name of the PD/PI. Page numbers for the footer will be system-generated in the complete application, with all pages sequentially numbered.

If you prefer to keep number pages for page-length verification, MPRC will remove these prior to submission.


Figures, Graphs, Diagrams, Charts, Tables, Figure Legends, and Footnotes

You may use a smaller type size but it must be in a black font color, readily legible, and follow the font typeface requirement. Color can be used in figures; however, all text must be in a black font color, clear and legible.


Grantsmanship

Use English and avoid jargon. If terms are not universally known, spell out the term the first time it is used and note the appropriate abbreviation in parentheses. The abbreviation may be used thereafter.