Online Proposal Writing Resources
General Guidance
Getting Started
- Fellowships 101: How to Find Fellowships That Are Right for You – by Karen Ruhleder
- Get an Early Start on This Year’s Fellowship Applications – by Colleen Vojak
- The Art of Proposal Writing: Proposal as Genre – by Karen Ruhleder
- The Art of Proposal Writing: Proposal as Roadmap – by Karen Ruhleder
- Help Funders Help You: Five Tips for Writing Effective Funding Applications - by Lewis, Sommerville, Van Bavel, & Cunningham
Guidance for Social Sciences and Humanities
- Grantsmanship in Support of Study or Research: Writing a Fellowship Proposal or Statement of Purpose – by Cynthia Verba
- The Making of a Successful Proposal - University of California, Berkeley
- On the Art of Writing Proposals - Social Science Research Council
- In Pursuit of the Dissertation Proposal - University of California Berkeley, Institute of International Studies
- Dr. Karen's Foolproof Grant Template – by Karen Kelsky
- Writing Proposals for ACLS Fellowship Competitions - by Christina M. Gillis
Guidance for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
- A Guide to Preparing Fellowship Applications in STEM - by Karen Ruhleder
- Writing Successful Science Proposals, 3rd Edition – book by Andrew Friedland, Carol Folt, and Jennifer L. Mercer
- Writing Science: How to Write Papers that Get Cited and Proposals that Get Funded - book by Joshua Schimel
- An Evidence-based Guide to Writing Grant Proposals for Clinical Research - by Sharon K Inouye & David A Fiellin
Resources for Major Competitions
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRF)
- NSF-GRF FAQs - New and extended FAQ listing by NSF Program Directors.
- NSF Fellowship Advice, by Alex Lang (features many sample proposals).
- Video: Tips for a Winning NSF-GRF Application, by UIUC alum Ritu Raman.
- Where Storytelling Meets Science, by Lesley McCollum and Michelle Lavery.
- Helping Students to Tell Their Stories (general advice on personal statements) - by James M. Lang.
- Applying for Fellowships: Telling the “Story of You” (general advice on personal statements) – by Karen Ruhleder
National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)
- Advice from NDSEG Fellow – Edward Yang
National Institutes of Health - Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NIH-NRSA F30, F31, F32)
- NIH/NRSA/Kirschstein Fellowship – Graduate College Information Session 2018 - University of Illinois
- NIH/NRSA/Kirschstein Grants Policy Statement (summary of eligibility, purpose, evaluation criteria, application guidelines, and award benefits)
- NIH/NRSA/Kirschstein Fellowship - Application Checklist - University of Illinois
- Research Proposals: A Guide to Success, 3rd Edition – book by Thomas Ogden and Israel Goldberg
- Tips on Writing NRSA Proposals - by NRSA reviewers Siegle, Johnson, Everhard, & Newton
- Guide to Effective Grant Writing: How to Write a Successful NIH Proposal - book by Otto Yang
- A Practical Guide to Writing a Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Grant – book by Andrew Hollenbach
- The Grant Application Writer's Workbook, NIH version - workbook published by Grant Writers' Seminars and Workshops (not specific to F awards, but contains relevant guidance on major components; the 2013 edition is available from the UIUC library)
Fulbright: Academic Study/Research Grants and English Teaching Assistantships
Supplemental Materials
Personal Statements
- Applying for Fellowships: Telling the “Story of You” – by Karen Ruhleder
- Helping Students to Tell Their Stories - by James M. Lang, Chronicle of Higher Education
Letters of Recommendation
- How to Ask for a Recommendation - by Leonard Cassuto, Chronicle of Higher Education
- How to Write a Recommendation Letter - by Karen Kelsky (advice for professors)
General Resources for Scientific Writing
- Illinois Library (guide to citation practices and styles)
- Writers Workshop (resources on the writing process)
- Writing Science in Plain English - book by Anne E. Greene
- The Craft of Research - book by Booth et al.
- Academic Phrasebank (resource for phrases common to academic writing)