Cutting out cut-and-paste

When up against tight deadlines and a complex application form to complete it’s tempting to default to generalities in some parts of your proposal. Don’t do it, says Adam Golberg of the University of Nottingham.

Given the ever-expanding requirements of most research funding applications, many applicants may be tempted to pay less attention to some sections of the form. This could lead them to write text so generic, so bland, that it could be cut and pasted into almost any other proposal with minimal editing.  

Researchers should resist that temptation. Using text that looks like it could be cut and pasted between proposals suggests that they haven’t thought through the specifics of their project or fellowship, making it appear less plausible as a result.