Ten rules for converting graduate qualifying exams into NIH-style fellowship proposals
By
Courtney Peña-Lima,
Summary
This article provides a practical, step-by-step guide for graduate students on how to transform their qualifying exam (quals) into an NIH-style fellowship proposal. Written by a team of researchers and academics, it outlines ten rules covering topic selection, mentorship engagement, writing mechanics, reviewer perspective, and submission strategies. The guide uses NIH fellowship mechanisms (F31/F30) as a benchmark, which is common in US research institutions. It is designed for students who have completed or are working on proposal-based qualifying exams, typically in their second year of doctoral programs.
Source
bskyTen rules for converting graduate qualifying exams into NIH-style fellowship proposalsjournals.plos.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledQualifying exams, often referred to as 'quals' or candidacy exams, are an important milestone in doctoral programs.
This paper offers graduate students a step-by-step guide on how to turn their quals into a fellowship-style research proposal, using National Institutes of Health (NIH) mechanisms as a benchmark.
This paper will be most useful for students who have completed or are in the process of completing proposal-based qualifying exams, usually in the second year of a doctoral program.
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