• Submit a cover letter that includes the following: (a) Principal Investigator's (PI) name, credentials, affiliation, address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address; (b) name, credentials, and affiliation of any co-investigators; (c) NLN membership number and expiration date for the PI; (d) title of the proposal; (e) research priority(ies) addressed by the proposed project; and (f) total amount of funds requested.

• Submit one copy of the PI's Curriculum Vitae or Biographical Sketch that describes her/his qualifications/research capacity to complete the proposed pilot study, prepare a grant for external funding to continue the project, and direct the national, multi-site, multi-method study.

• Submit a letter of commitment or support from the appropriate person in each school, agency, or institution in which the research will be conducted. These letters must be on official school/agency/ institution letterhead. All schools participating in the pilot study and the national study must be NLN member schools.

• Limit the body of the proposal to 25 pages, double-spaced, with standard margins.

• Include the following in the body of the proposal: (a) title of the project; (b) purpose of the study; (c) background and need for the study; (d) review of relevant literature; (e) description of the methodology to be used in the pilot study, including subject selection, data gathering approaches, and human subjects protection; (f) description of the data analysis/methods of evaluation to be used; (g) outcomes expected; (h) IRB approval; (i) specific timetable for all project activities; and (j) how the study relates to one or more of the NLN's Priorities for Research in Nursing Education. In addition, the proposal must include a list of potential external funders of the national study, as well as information about their proposal review processes/timetables and how the proposed study relates to their funding priorities.

• Provide references and appendices (if needed). These pages are in addition to the 25-page body of the proposal.

• Include an itemized budget in columnar, not narrative, form that addresses the total cost of the pilot project and other sources of funding for it (if the total exceeds the NLN grant). These pages are in addition to the 25-page body of the proposal. Allowable expenses include the following: (a) PI salary support; (b) data gathering, processing, and analysis; (c) printing of required documents; (d) dissemination of findings; or (e) other similar costs associated with the process of research. Non-allowable expenses include travel, durable equipment that will sustain past the end of the funding, salary for co-investigators, rent, utilities, maintenance, taxes, and other similar costs.

• Submit five (5) copies of the proposal, each of which is to be stapled or clipped together. Do not bind the proposals in any type of "book" format, and do not put any type of "cover" on copies of the proposal. Be certain that the body of the proposal includes no identifying information (to allow for a "blind" review).

• The appearance of the proposal should reflect planning and vision. Neatness and visual presentation are important in conveying ideas clearly and without distraction.

EVALUATION OF PROPOSAL

The proposal will be evaluated using the following criteria: consistency with one or more of the NLN's nursing education research priorities, scholarly merit, significance to nursing education, feasibility, strength of the theoretical/conceptual basis for the study, anticipated generalizability, potential for external funding, clarity of writing, and cohesiveness of the content.
Click to download the specific proposal review form (PDF).

SUBMISSION PROCEDURES

Materials are to be postmarked by March 3, 2003, and in the interest of fairness to all those submitting proposals, material that is postmarked after March 3, 2003 will not be reviewed. Send proposal packets to: