Banishing boilerplate

Using generic text in funding applications can cost researchers dearly, warns Adam Golberg. Here is how to cut it out.

Given the ever-expanding requirements of most funding applications, researchers may be tempted to pay less attention to some sections of the form than to others. To save time and effort, some may deploy text that fits in its particular box and is true as far as it goes, but requires little thought and does not add very much to the bid.

Researchers should resist that temptation. Using text that looks like it was cut and pasted between proposals suggests researchers have not thought through the specifics of their project or fellowship and the whole bid becomes less plausible as a result.