Yo peeps, it’s Fri-yay! I’m going to keep this short and sweet cause the weekend’s here and it’s time to par-TAY. IYKYK 😉
No, my LinkedIn account has not been hacked. And fortunately, I can’t recall ever seeing a grant proposal that’s quite this informal.
But this is a communication problem to be aware of: informal text in academic writing will negatively impact your credibility. The reviewer will wonder if you actually take your research seriously. Depending on the funding agency, grant money may come from taxpayers or even charitable donations: you must show that you have a sensible plan for delivering your idea.
The flipside—an overly formal and stiff tone—should be avoided as well because it can obscure your meaning and, quite frankly, be incredibly boring and/or challenging to read. Competitive grant proposals are compelling: there’s something about them that excites the reviewers and encourages them to write a positive review.
Both of these issues boil down to the same problem: avoid striking the wrong tone in your grant writing.
How can you find the right tone? Don’t worry too much about it when you’re in the middle of writing, but keep the following tips in mind when you’re revising and editing your proposal:
1️⃣ KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: You want your proposal to be accessible to each of the audiences who will read it. For an EPSRC grant, you typically have three audiences: a portfolio manager who processes the grant (non-expert), a peer reviewer (expert … but probably not in your exact field), and panel members (acting as a generalist or non-expert).
2️⃣ THINK LIKE A READER: What makes something accessible and readable? The best way to answer that question is to turn it over to you: what do you like and dislike when you read other people’s papers or proposals? Think about the tone of the writing that you find easy to read and would like to read more of.
Is it conversational … without resorting to slang or jargon?
Is it clear and straightforward … or do you need a map to help you navigate because the language is so dense?
Is it professional and trustworthy … or would you hesitate to recommend that the applicant be given money?
3️⃣ GET FEEDBACK: Always. Feedback is vital to make sure you’re on the right track with regards to tone and other communication pitfalls.
See the other posts in the ACEing Academia series: