Check for Completeness, Accuracy, and Proper Formatting
To avoid common proposal errors, ensure that all required sponsor forms are fully completed and that every component of the application complies with the sponsor's formatting and content instructions. Use agency-provided checklists and the validation features in Cayuse, Research.gov, and other portals to confirm that required fields are complete and attachments meet sponsor specifications.
OSP offers tools and templates to help you become familiar with standard proposal sections accurately and efficiently.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
For NIH proposals, Cayuse is required. Cayuse is a Grant.gov submission system that provides:
- Auto-population of standard forms
- Extensive built-in error checking
- User-friendly navigation
- The ability to preview the entire assembled proposal before submission
Using Cayuse helps ensure your NIH application is complete, compliant, and ready for OSP's review.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
After completing your NSF proposal in Research.gov, the PI or designee should conduct an administrative review to verify compliance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).
During proposal development, be sure your documents meet NSF's formatting standards (24-1).
Research.gov performs automated compliance checks during proposal preparation, pre-submission, and post-submission validation. Research.gov:
- Catches compliance issues and verifies that mandatory sections exist
- Performs mechanical checks on uploaded PDFs and fields
- Enforces page limits when the solicitation specifies one
- Performs certain budget checks
- flags errors that must be corrected before NSF will accept the proposal
Error vs Warning Message
Research.gov uses two categories of system messages:
- Errors - block submission; proposal cannot be submitted until corrected.
- Warnings - indicate issues that do not prevent submission but may affect review.
