Academic Funding

NSF Clarifies Policy on Award Abstracts and Titles

June 5, 2014 2525

Abstract buttonOn May 29, the National Science Foundation issued an Important Notice to Presidents of Universities and Colleges and Heads of Other National Science Foundation Awardee Organizations. An NSF notice in December announced a focus on transparency and accountability, one piece of which is “improving public understanding of our funding decisions through our award Abstracts and Titles.” In this vein, the current announcement clarifies the NSF policy on award abstracts and titles.

“NSF abstracts are the public face of NSF investments and decision-making,” notes the foundation’s deputy director, Cora B. Marrett, “and they can be used to immediately address a specific area of interest from those outside of the NSF regarding what projects are supported and why.” By providing the public with a clear understanding of each project, scientists can best convey the value and excitement of their research.

From the announcement (the full notice is HERE):

“An NSF award abstract, with its title, is an NSF document that describes the project and justifies the expenditure of Federal funds.

There are two major components of the NSF Abstract:

  • A nontechnical description of the project that states the problem to be studied, and explains the project’s broader significance and importance, that serves as a public justification for NSF funding. This component should be understandable to an educated lay reader. It may include such information as the theoretical or analytical foundation of the proposed research, the fundamental issues that may be resolved by the research, the project’s relation to NSF’s mission, the project’s place in the context of ongoing research in the field, the project’s potential impact on other fields, and the prospect that it will lead to significant advances or the integration of related lines of inquiry.
  • A technical description of the project that states the goals and scope of the research, and the methods and approaches to be used. In many cases, the technical description may be a modified version of the project summary submitted with the proposal.”

The titles of NSF supported projects must describe the research purpose in “nontechnical terms to the fullest possible extent.” The NSF award Abstract for a broad audience is likely to differ from the Project Summary that is part of the technically reviewed proposal.


Christine Cameron is the executive director of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences.

View all posts by Christine Cameron

Related Articles

Why Don’t Algorithms Agree With Each Other?
Innovation
February 21, 2024

Why Don’t Algorithms Agree With Each Other?

Read Now
A Black History Addendum to the American Music Industry
Insights
February 6, 2024

A Black History Addendum to the American Music Industry

Read Now
When University Decolonization in Canada Mends Relationships with Indigenous Nations and Lands
Higher Education Reform
January 9, 2024

When University Decolonization in Canada Mends Relationships with Indigenous Nations and Lands

Read Now
Kohrra on Netflix – Policing and Everyday Life in Contemporary India
International Debate
August 14, 2023

Kohrra on Netflix – Policing and Everyday Life in Contemporary India

Read Now
The UK Pandemic Inquiry – Missing the Point?

The UK Pandemic Inquiry – Missing the Point?

The post-mortems on national governments’ management of the COVID-19 pandemic are getting under way. Some European countries have completed theirs, with rapid […]

Read Now
NSF Guidelines Amidst Foreign Threats To Research Security

NSF Guidelines Amidst Foreign Threats To Research Security

Reflecting concerns that foreign governments have illicitly obtained research developed by the United States, posing threats to research security and hindering international collaboration, the National Science Foundation released “NSF Guidelines for Research Security Analytics.”

Read Now
History Offers Way Forward for Ukrainian Scientific System

History Offers Way Forward for Ukrainian Scientific System

Research shows that local and international policymakers can minimize the harm suffered by Ukrainian science by providing direct funding to researchers, creating remote research positions and offering research opportunities abroad to Ukrainian scientists.

Read Now
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments