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Write, Edit, and Proof Like a Pro. Our Advice: Keep Your Writing Streamlined. Prepare a well-organized and visually appealing application. Make it easy for reviewers -- they'll appreciate it! All the concepts you learned in English (or other language) classes apply to writing an NIH grant application. The following techniques will keep your writing streamlined and organized, so reviewers can readily glean the information. Start with an outline following the organization you carefully thought out in the previous sections. An outline will make it easier to develop topic sentences and order your paragraphs effectively. Write a topic sentence for each main point. A topic sentence is usually the first one in the paragraph and is supported by more information in the next few sentences. Example: Staphylococcus aureus is a well-armed opportunistic pathogen that produces a diverse array of virulence factors and causes a correspondingly diverse array of infections. Make only one point in each paragraph, stating it clearly as a topic sentence. This is key for your reviewers to be able to read or scan your application. Paragraphs have two functions: they aggregate information point by point and they break up the page, creating white space. Keep it short and simple. Keep paragraphs short. Start with basic ideas and progress to more complex ones. State key points as nontechnically as possible. Use short sentences with a basic structure: subject, verb, and object. Break up long, involved sentences; avoid introductory phrases longer than six words. Keep sentences to 20 or so words or less. Divide into sections -- give them a break! Use headers to create additional white space and structure. Reviewers are human. If it looks too hard to read, they're less likely to read it. Huge blocks of uninterrupted text are depressing. Include transitions. At the beginning of a new paragraph or concept, add a transition to your next point by relating it to your previous one. Use statements such as "furthermore," "additionally," "in another area," "in contrast," and "following the same path," to show a relationship between ideas. Keep related ideas and information together, e.g., put clauses and phrases as close as possible to -- or preferably right after -- the words they modify. Use strong, active verbs -- they are the workhorses of effective sentences. For example, write "We will develop a cell line," not "A cell line will be developed." Use verbal instead of abstract nouns. Turn dull abstract nouns ending in "-ion" and "-ment" into verbs. For example, say "creating the assay leads to..." rather than "the creation of the assay leads to..." If writing is not your forte, get help.

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