{"id":10251,"date":"2017-05-09T12:59:02","date_gmt":"2017-05-09T19:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.www.grantcentral.com\/?p=10251"},"modified":"2017-05-10T09:01:55","modified_gmt":"2017-05-10T16:01:55","slug":"summary-of-words-to-avoid-in-grant-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grantcentral.com\/summary-of-words-to-avoid-in-grant-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Summary of words to avoid in grant applications"},"content":{"rendered":"

Because our contact list has grown substantially since we began posting blogs more than a year ago, we thought this would be a good time to offer a summary of our popular blog series, \u201cDangerous Words to Avoid in Grant Proposals.\u201d This blog series and\u00a0our other blog posts are designed to complement the extensive information you\u2019ll find in The Grant Application Writer\u2019s Workbook<\/em><\/a>. Our purpose is that the guidance you receive via our blog and workbooks will assist you in presenting your proposal to your reviewers in a clear, concise manner that they\u2019ll appreciate. In the current competitive funding environment, it\u2019s critical that you work harder and smarter than your competitors.<\/p>\n

Our initial blog<\/a>\u00a0in this series focused on two words to avoid when writing your proposal: \u201cIf\u201d and \u201cWhether.\u201d We clearly point out the traps you\u2019ll encounter when you use these words and then we provide alternative options that will convey your research more clearly and precisely.<\/p>\n

In the second blog<\/a> we cover the usage of the terms \u201cunderstand\u201d or \u201cto better understand.\u201d Following extensive discussion of these terms, we note that \u201cevery applicant should have an objective where the endpoint can be precisely delineated.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the third blog<\/a> we discuss the phrase, \u201cTo the best of our knowledge.\u201d This is often used to justify a claim and seems to imply that you may not have taken the time to research something further or it may indicate that you\u2019re missing some information. Another viewpoint to consider is that the reviewers assume that everything is written to the best of your knowledge-so it doesn\u2019t need to be stated.<\/p>\n

The fourth blog<\/a>\u00a0is written about a bit of a pet peeve of ours; that of attributing an action or activity to a noun, as in \u201cResearch shows\u2026\u201d Rather it is the results of the research that reveal something, or that \u201cRecent research findings have provided strong evidence that\u2026\u201d This would similarly apply to \u201cstudies\u201d, \u201cinvestigations\u201d, \u201cexaminations\u201d, etc.<\/p>\n

We cover the use of qualitative superlatives in\u00a0Part 5<\/a> in this series. These are qualitative assessments not supported by hard evidence, such as \u201ccompelling\u201d, \u201cstrong\u201d, and \u201cunique.\u201d Also to be avoided are superlatives describing the qualifications of co-investigators, such as \u201cinternationally recognized\u201d, \u201cleading\u201d, and \u201cworld leader in\u201d. We\u2019re sure you can come up with more of these.<\/p>\n

Then there is the all-important usage of the word \u201cgrant\u201d in Part 6<\/a>. Of course, what you are writing is not a grant. It is either a grant application or a grant proposal. You might want to substitute the word \u201caward\u201d when you are tempted to indicate that you\u2019re writing a grant. You wouldn\u2019t be writing an award; thus, you\u2019re not writing a grant.<\/p>\n

In Part 7<\/a> we cover quite a number of errors made when writing about your expectations of what you expect to accomplish when the work is completed. Many examples are given here, with the bottom line advice being not to over-promise what you can do. As we always advise: Say exactly what you mean, and mean exactly what you say.<\/p>\n

Finally, in Part 8<\/a>\u00a0we\u00a0consider what we call\u00a0\u201cglittering generalities.\u201d These are phrases that sound very good; however, no one is entirely sure what they mean, or the meaning is not clear. There are a number of good examples shown to illustrate what a glittering generality is and how to avoid it.<\/p>\n

We recommend that you take the time to carefully read each blog and consider how you might apply the information to your own grant proposal as a way to improve its readability. Your reviewers will appreciate it\u2013and it may just make the difference between winning the grant and getting turned down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Because our contact list has grown substantially since we began posting blogs more than a year ago, we thought this would be a good time to offer a summary of our popular blog series, \u201cDangerous Words to Avoid in Grant Applications.\u201d This blog series and our other blog posts are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[21,31,41],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSummary of words to avoid in grant applications -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Words to avoid when writing a grant proposal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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