Grant-writing expert Stacy Chin warns that revising a proposal ten or more times can hide grammar and punctuation errors that damage credibility. After months of work, fatigue makes these mistakes easy to miss, but reviewers notice and it hurts your chances of funding.
It is not uncommon to revise the same document over at least 10 different times before we submit the application. I'm sure you can imagine with so many changes and revisions happening in that same exact document, the punctuation and the grammar gets a bit messy. And let me tell you, as you keep editing and reading and revising the same document over and over and over again, it gets harder and harder to pick up those nitty-gritty grammatical errors. Like, and after working on a proposal for over 3 months, you're gonna be tired. So fixing those little grammatical errors is probably the last thing on your mind, but These errors are something you have to fix. Submitting an application with poor grammar hurts your credibility and does not make a good impression on the reviewers. And actually makes it harder for reviewers to understand the key points you want to get across because it affects the readability. And from my experience serving as a reviewer, when I come across an application that is poorly written, let's just say the outcomes don't really turn out too well. Check out the long-form video on my YouTube channel to learn more.
Applying for NIH SBIR in Jan 5, 2027? You Should Be Starting NOW. Here's why...
How to Get Invited to Apply for $305K in NSF SBIR Funding || Step-by-Step Guide
