Abstract
Writing a grant is a hefty undertaking. Start by surrounding yourself with a successful mentor and accompanying team with a good track record. Get organized, select clear goals and objectives to your project. Once the foundation for the grant is set, begin by generating a robust hypothesis. Once your hypothesis is clearly defined, you should contact the project officer of the specific grant for which you are applying; they can help identify if the proposal meets an area of need. The basic components of a grant include the following: the face page, which highlights the key contributors; followed by table of contents; abstract; biographical sketches, which are minicurriculum vitae; budget; research plan, which is composed mostly of background, significance, and specific aims; and lastly, references cited. Be sure to follow specific formatting. Use resources including the internet to find an appropriate grant. Finally, given the confines of a busy surgical practice and the significant amount of work necessary to complete a grant, it is essential that the work begins early and well in advance of the proposed deadline.
Overview
Writing a grant is a hefty undertaking; one must methodically sort through generating a hypothesis, planning a study, and logistically making it happen; this Grant Writing 101 will summarize these formalities. In no way will this review be comprehensive as each grant and funding agency have specific guidelines that need to be followed and cannot be summarized in this small review. It will provide some of the basics necessary for a successful grant application. Before starting, it is important to appreciate that writing a successful grant mandates a clear understanding of the expectations of the reviewer. The goal is to not only convey how you are going to perform your study but also convince the reviewer why. It is human nature to respond to incentives; the reviewer will want to know what your project contributes to the current field, and perhaps more selfishly, what does your project contribute to him or her. There are two key questions that a reviewer will ask about your grant: is the work important and does it describe a method for delivering the stated outcomes. It is essential to keep these questions in mind when writing. Successful grant writing requires clear implicit or explicit incentives to the reader.