Write a one page summary of research (around 4600 characters) of a project you are submitting to the NSF for funding. This can be based on the research paper you wrote in this class or on some other research. The summary must have two distinct sections at the end one on intellectual merit and one on broader impacts. Often these sections come after an overview section which spells out the scope of the proposal without necessarily touting its merits. This section is often the longest

How to Prepare an
NSF Summary Page
Julie Longo
Technical Writer
Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering
March 1, 2013
How to Prepare an NSF Summary Page
Table of Contents
1. When to Prepare the NSF Summary Page
2. New NSF rules effective January 14, 2013
3. Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
a. Uploading information
b. Objectives
c. Intellectual Merit
d. Broader Implications
4. Time allocated to modifying your NSF Summary Page
5. Group sessions to assess NSF Summary Pages
6. Conclusions
When to Prepare the NSF Summary Page
• Create a ‘working draft’ summary page before you write your
Project Description
– This will help you focus on what your objectives might be, some of the
intellectual merits of your project, and start you thinking about broader
implications.
– As you write your Project Description, update your Summary Page.
– When you complete your Project Description, complete work on your
Summary Page.
• It is not an outline, per se; however, it will help guide your writing
for the Project Description.
New NSF Proposal and Award Policies and
Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
• These instructions are to be used
for proposals submitted January
14, 2013 and after.
• Post award guidelines also began
on January 14, 2013.
• http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?
ods_key=nsf13001
New NSF Proposal and Award Policies and
Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
THIS CHANGE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
• It means that the NSF absolutely, positively is requiring the
proposers to pay close attention to Intellectual Merit and
Broader Impacts sections of their NSF Summary pages.
Project Summary
• Each proposal must contain a summary of the proposed project not
more than one page in length. New rules specifically state no more
than 4,600 characters (with spaces).
• The Project Summary consists of
An overview,
A statement on the intellectual merit of the proposed activity,
and
A statement on the broader impacts of the proposed activity.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Project Summary
• The overview includes:
• A description of the activity that would result if the
proposal were funded and
• A statement of objectives and methods to be employed.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Project Summary
• The statement on intellectual merit should describe the
potential of the proposed activity to advance knowledge.
• The statement on broader impacts should describe:
• The potential of the proposed activity to benefit society
and
• Contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal
outcomes.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Project Summary
• The Project Summary should be:
• Written in the third person,
• Informative to other persons working in the same or
related fields, and,
• Insofar as possible, understandable to a scientifically or
technically literate lay reader.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Project Summary
• It should not be an abstract of the proposal.
• Proposals that do not contain the Project Summary, including
an overview and separate statements on intellectual merit and
broader impacts, will not be accepted or will be returned
without review.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
What should I enter in each of the three boxes?
• Overview
Insert a self-contained description of the activity that
would result if the proposal were funded.
Include a statement of objectives and methods to be
employed.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
What should I enter in each of the three boxes?
• Intellectual Merit
Describe the potential of the proposed activity to meet the
Intellectual Merit criterion.
The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential
to advance knowledge (GPG, III-2, NSF 13-1)
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
What should I enter in each of the three boxes?
• Broader Impacts
Describe the potential of the proposed activity to meet the
Broader Impacts criterion.
The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential
to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of
specific, desired societal outcomes (GPG, III-2, NSF 13-1)
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
The following elements should be considered in the review for
both criteria:
1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to:
a. Advance knowledge and understanding within its own
field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and
b. Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes
(Broader Impacts)?
2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore
creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
The following elements should be considered in the review for
both criteria:
3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities wellreasoned,
well-organized, and based on a sound rationale?
4. Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
5. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to
conduct the proposed activities?
6. Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the
home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the
proposed activities?
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
• NSF projects, in the aggregate, should contribute more broadly
to achieving societal goals.
• These “Broader Impacts” may be accomplished through
The research itself,
Through activities that are directly related to specific
research projects, or
Through activities that are supported by, but are
complementary to, the project.
The project activities may be based on previously
established and/or innovative methods and approaches,
but in either case must be well justified.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
• Even if assessment of Broader Impacts outcomes for particular
projects is done at an aggregated level, PIs are expected to be
accountable for carrying out the activities described in the
funded project.
• Thus, individual projects should include:
Clearly stated goals,
Specific descriptions of the activities that the PI intends to
do, and
A plan in place to document the outputs of those activities.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Such outcomes include, but are not limited to:
• Full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and
underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM);
• Improved STEM education and educator development at any level;
• Increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and
technology;
• Improved well-being of individuals in society;
• Development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce;
• Increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others;
• Improved national security;
• Increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and
• Enhanced infrastructure for research and education.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Information must be entered into all three text boxes, or the
proposal will not be accepted.
• The character limit is 4,600 characters, including spaces, in
total for all three text boxes.
• The proposer may determine how many characters to use in
each box, but the sum of characters across the three text boxes
must not exceed 4,600.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
If you use ‘special characters’ in your Project Summary:
• Special characters include mathematical symbols or Greek
letters.
• If these are required in your Project Summary, then you upload
your Project Summary as a Supplementary Document.
• The Project Summary may ONLY be uploaded as a
Supplementary Document if you use special characters.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Develop your Objectives section
• NSF likes succinct, clear opening statements on what your
objectives are.
• NSF asks that you avoid the use of ‘develop’ – they fund basic
research projects
• Even though NSF is looking for transformative or innovative
projects, DO NOT use those words to describe your work – let
your description be clear enough that the reviewers use those
words to describe your work!
Your Turn
Develop your Intellectual Merit section
• How is your work going to advance knowledge in your field?
• Are you addressing gaps in the knowledge base? Do you have
evidence of that gap?
Your Turn
Develop your Broader Impacts section
• If you achieve the goals of your research, how do you envision
that impacting society?
• Do you have personal goals, like making sure K-12 students are
inspired to STEM careers? How would you incorporate that
goal into your research?ss
Your Turn
Make sure to check that you meet the 4,600 character count
(including spaces) criteria
• If you are overlength, reduce the character count
• If you need help in cutting, call me over.
Your Turn
You have 30 minutes to work on your Project Summary
• You can work by yourself or brainstorm with another member
of your team
• After that, the teams will read and critique the Project
Summaries
Your Turn
• Email your summary to each of your team members, or pass
your summary around to your team members.
• Once you have all evaluated all the summaries, share your
evaluations and discuss improvements.
Review and Critique
• Lessons learned?
• Insights?
• Questions?
Conclusion
We don’t want this to happen to you!

Write a one page summary of research (around 4600 characters) of a project you are submitting to the NSF for funding. This can be based on the research paper you wrote in this class or on some other research. The summary must have two distinct sections at the end one on intellectual merit and one on broader impacts. Often these sections come after an overview section which spells out the scope of the proposal without necessarily touting its merits. This section is often the longest

How to Prepare an
NSF Summary Page
Julie Longo
Technical Writer
Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering
March 1, 2013
How to Prepare an NSF Summary Page
Table of Contents
1. When to Prepare the NSF Summary Page
2. New NSF rules effective January 14, 2013
3. Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
a. Uploading information
b. Objectives
c. Intellectual Merit
d. Broader Implications
4. Time allocated to modifying your NSF Summary Page
5. Group sessions to assess NSF Summary Pages
6. Conclusions
When to Prepare the NSF Summary Page
• Create a ‘working draft’ summary page before you write your
Project Description
– This will help you focus on what your objectives might be, some of the
intellectual merits of your project, and start you thinking about broader
implications.
– As you write your Project Description, update your Summary Page.
– When you complete your Project Description, complete work on your
Summary Page.
• It is not an outline, per se; however, it will help guide your writing
for the Project Description.
New NSF Proposal and Award Policies and
Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
• These instructions are to be used
for proposals submitted January
14, 2013 and after.
• Post award guidelines also began
on January 14, 2013.
• http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?
ods_key=nsf13001
New NSF Proposal and Award Policies and
Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
THIS CHANGE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
• It means that the NSF absolutely, positively is requiring the
proposers to pay close attention to Intellectual Merit and
Broader Impacts sections of their NSF Summary pages.
Project Summary
• Each proposal must contain a summary of the proposed project not
more than one page in length. New rules specifically state no more
than 4,600 characters (with spaces).
• The Project Summary consists of
An overview,
A statement on the intellectual merit of the proposed activity,
and
A statement on the broader impacts of the proposed activity.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Project Summary
• The overview includes:
• A description of the activity that would result if the
proposal were funded and
• A statement of objectives and methods to be employed.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Project Summary
• The statement on intellectual merit should describe the
potential of the proposed activity to advance knowledge.
• The statement on broader impacts should describe:
• The potential of the proposed activity to benefit society
and
• Contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal
outcomes.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Project Summary
• The Project Summary should be:
• Written in the third person,
• Informative to other persons working in the same or
related fields, and,
• Insofar as possible, understandable to a scientifically or
technically literate lay reader.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Project Summary
• It should not be an abstract of the proposal.
• Proposals that do not contain the Project Summary, including
an overview and separate statements on intellectual merit and
broader impacts, will not be accepted or will be returned
without review.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
What should I enter in each of the three boxes?
• Overview
Insert a self-contained description of the activity that
would result if the proposal were funded.
Include a statement of objectives and methods to be
employed.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
What should I enter in each of the three boxes?
• Intellectual Merit
Describe the potential of the proposed activity to meet the
Intellectual Merit criterion.
The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential
to advance knowledge (GPG, III-2, NSF 13-1)
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
What should I enter in each of the three boxes?
• Broader Impacts
Describe the potential of the proposed activity to meet the
Broader Impacts criterion.
The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential
to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of
specific, desired societal outcomes (GPG, III-2, NSF 13-1)
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
The following elements should be considered in the review for
both criteria:
1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to:
a. Advance knowledge and understanding within its own
field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and
b. Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes
(Broader Impacts)?
2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore
creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
The following elements should be considered in the review for
both criteria:
3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities wellreasoned,
well-organized, and based on a sound rationale?
4. Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
5. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to
conduct the proposed activities?
6. Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the
home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the
proposed activities?
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
• NSF projects, in the aggregate, should contribute more broadly
to achieving societal goals.
• These “Broader Impacts” may be accomplished through
The research itself,
Through activities that are directly related to specific
research projects, or
Through activities that are supported by, but are
complementary to, the project.
The project activities may be based on previously
established and/or innovative methods and approaches,
but in either case must be well justified.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
• Even if assessment of Broader Impacts outcomes for particular
projects is done at an aggregated level, PIs are expected to be
accountable for carrying out the activities described in the
funded project.
• Thus, individual projects should include:
Clearly stated goals,
Specific descriptions of the activities that the PI intends to
do, and
A plan in place to document the outputs of those activities.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Such outcomes include, but are not limited to:
• Full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and
underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM);
• Improved STEM education and educator development at any level;
• Increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and
technology;
• Improved well-being of individuals in society;
• Development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce;
• Increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others;
• Improved national security;
• Increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and
• Enhanced infrastructure for research and education.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Information must be entered into all three text boxes, or the
proposal will not be accepted.
• The character limit is 4,600 characters, including spaces, in
total for all three text boxes.
• The proposer may determine how many characters to use in
each box, but the sum of characters across the three text boxes
must not exceed 4,600.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
If you use ‘special characters’ in your Project Summary:
• Special characters include mathematical symbols or Greek
letters.
• If these are required in your Project Summary, then you upload
your Project Summary as a Supplementary Document.
• The Project Summary may ONLY be uploaded as a
Supplementary Document if you use special characters.
Guidelines for the NSF Summary Page
(based on FastLane instructions and PAPPG)
Develop your Objectives section
• NSF likes succinct, clear opening statements on what your
objectives are.
• NSF asks that you avoid the use of ‘develop’ – they fund basic
research projects
• Even though NSF is looking for transformative or innovative
projects, DO NOT use those words to describe your work – let
your description be clear enough that the reviewers use those
words to describe your work!
Your Turn
Develop your Intellectual Merit section
• How is your work going to advance knowledge in your field?
• Are you addressing gaps in the knowledge base? Do you have
evidence of that gap?
Your Turn
Develop your Broader Impacts section
• If you achieve the goals of your research, how do you envision
that impacting society?
• Do you have personal goals, like making sure K-12 students are
inspired to STEM careers? How would you incorporate that
goal into your research?ss
Your Turn
Make sure to check that you meet the 4,600 character count
(including spaces) criteria
• If you are overlength, reduce the character count
• If you need help in cutting, call me over.
Your Turn
You have 30 minutes to work on your Project Summary
• You can work by yourself or brainstorm with another member
of your team
• After that, the teams will read and critique the Project
Summaries
Your Turn
• Email your summary to each of your team members, or pass
your summary around to your team members.
• Once you have all evaluated all the summaries, share your
evaluations and discuss improvements.
Review and Critique
• Lessons learned?
• Insights?
• Questions?
Conclusion
We don’t want this to happen to you!