Questions and Answers Table of Contents
Where can I find information on peer review of applications?
See our Peer Review of Applications -- CSR questions and answers.
Do most reviewers read my application before review?
No. Aside from your primary, secondary,
and tertiary reviewer,
other reviewers do not usually read your application thoroughly before
the initial
peer review meeting. Rather, they scan it for its key parts. Read
more in Most Reviewers Scan Each Application.
Are reviewers generally fair?
Yes. Reviewers are generally fair in evaluating your application, but
they are not always right about your research. Read more in Reviewers Are Fair But Not Always Right.
How does streamlining work?
Before a study
section meets, the scientific
review officer asks members for a list of applications they
feel will score approximately in the lower
half of the applications being reviewed (the percentage varies by study section and grant
type). All reviewers must
agree for an application to be streamlined.
Read Noncompetitive Applications
Get a Streamlined Review for more information.
Are there formal "quotas" for
the percentage of grants not given a formal review and a score?
No. It varies by study section and grant type. In general, an
application is unscored if the reviewers unanimously judge its merit
to be in the bottom half of the applications being reviewed by a study
section. Read more in If Your Application Is Unscored.
Who leads the discussions?
The scientific
review group's chairperson, a committee member, facilitates the
discussions. Read more in At
the Peer Review Meeting: Basic Layout of Initial Peer Review and
subsequent sections.
How long do reviewers discuss my application, and when do they stop?
Reviewers generally discuss applications for 10 to 15 minutes and stop
when they are satisfied they can assign a priority
score. They also stop after
finding a fatal flaw. Read how this works in Primary
and Secondary Reviewers Make Your Case.
Do peer reviewers use review criteria to score
applications?
Yes. Peer
reviewers use criteria as gauges for assessing
impact as well as scientific and technical merit and feasibility.
Reviewers also judge
your application based on their ideal of an outstanding application
in your field of
science.
Read
more in How NIH Review Criteria Affect Your Score and the Review
Criteria SOP.
Does compliance with NIH policies affect
my priority score?
It may. For example,
meeting requirements for human
subjects and vertebrate animals may affect your priority
score. If you
are not compliant with vertebrate animal,
human subject, select
agent, and other policies, NIH is prohibited from funding your
research. For details, see How NIH Review Criteria Affect Your Score and Bars
to Grant Awards SOP.
How may poor editing and bad formatting
affect my results?
CSR may
return your application without review if it does not meet formatting
requirements of the application. Also, peer
reviewers may penalize you for a sloppy or poorly
edited application, and if they cannot understand
your writing, they may not be able to assess it, which will hurt your priority
score. For guidance, see Write,
Edit, and Proof Like a Pro.
Do all applications receive a priority score and summary statement?
Only applications that are not streamlined get a full discussion during peer review, an actual priority
score, and a summary
statement. Streamlined applications get initial scores and critiques from assigned reviewers.
For more details, see How
does streamlining work?, Noncompetitive
Applications Get a Streamlined Review, and Initial Peer Review Assesses Scientific Merit.
Where can I learn more about summary statements and bars to award?
Read Know What a Summary Statement Means in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.
See the Bars to Grant Awards SOP and After Peer Review questions and answers.
How does NIH handle conflict of interest?
NIAID follows standard NIH procedures to prevent project officers, peer reviewers, or Council members who may have a real or apparent conflict of interest with an applicant from participating in a peer review. See the Conflict of Interest in Peer Review SOP.
How long after a submission date do review meetings occur?
For non-AIDS applications, review meetings take place three to five months after a submission
date; for AIDS, one to two months after that date. Read more
in At the Peer Review
Meeting: Basic Layout of Initial Peer Review.
What if my question wasn't answered here, or I'd like to suggest a question?
Email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. We answer questions by email and post them here. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base. |
