The Scientific Editing Service (SES) works with ICTS members to strengthen, clarify, and increase the precision of extramural grant applications, manuscripts, biosketches, Specific Aims pages, Clinical Trial Reports and Clinical Study Updates. Experienced scientific editors customize their services to meet the specific needs of your documents.
Our services include: consultations to discuss scientific writing and editing; comprehensive editing; and editing sample documents (e.g., Specific Aims page, Biosketch, and Abstract). Comprehensive editing achieves the following: corrects grammatical and typographical errors; improves sentence structure, paragraph organization, and flow; strengthens the scientific significance and impact; enhances specificity; identifies inconsistencies; improves formatting and headings; reduces word count; and refines the language.
Workflow
Scientific Editing Service (SES) Accepts
- Grants
- Manuscripts
- Biosketches
- Aims Pages
- Clinical Study Updates
- Clinical Trial Reports
We work with early career-track investigators and faculty of WashU and ICTS partner institutions who are registered members of the ICTS (register now if you are not a member).
Grant applications have priority over other documents. Comprehensive editing usually takes two weeks or less. There may be a waiting list during periods of high demand. Early engagement with the SES ensures sufficient time to optimize your documents.
The SES is jointly supported by the ICTS and WashU Medicine Department of Medicine.
There may be a waiting list during periods of high demand. When we begin working on your document, the editing will take two weeks or less in most cases. Editing improves grant applications/manuscripts, but does not guarantee funding/publication.
Service Request and Document Submission
Complete the Service Request Form for a consultation with one of the scientific editors or for requesting editing.
After submitting the Service Request Form, the SES will respond within three working days and provide a Job Number that must be used in all subsequent correspondence. Use your Job Number to complete the Document Submission Form.
Documents Accepted
Extramural Grant Applications, Manuscripts, Patient Informed Consent forms, Clinical Study Protocols, Patient Safety Narratives, Clinical Trial Reports, Clinical Study Updates, and Institutional Review Board Applications (possibly also US Patent applications).
The Scientific Editing Services identifies and develops various tools, templates and resources to help investigators writing extramural grants. The material in this segment provides convenient access to a few of these resources and templates.
Tips for Working with SES
- Engage early (ideally 6-8 weeks before the deadline)
Start working on your grant application ~6 months before the deadline - Read the grant application instructions carefully
Be sure to include all required grant application components - Consult the resources provided in “Strategies to obtain NIH funding”
Using these tools and guidelines will improve the quality of your application - Solicit and incorporate any feedback (e.g., RF presentation, NIH Mock SS)
The SES can help you address feedback and integrate changes - Indicate any specific issues you would like addressed
Special issues should be discussed before editing starts - Leave time for multiple revisions/exchanges with the SES
Don’t wait until the last minute to finalize the suggested changes
Strategies to Get NIH Funding
- Begin working on your grant application approximately 6 months before the deadline.
Create a schedule so that you have plenty of time to carefully write and revise your application. Formulate your hypotheses and experimental approaches at least 5-6 months before the grant deadline. Talk with your mentor and colleagues to get their input and feedback. Begin writing your Specific Aims page at least 4-5 months before the grant deadline. Begin writing your Biosketch and Career Development Plan at least 3-4 months before the deadline. Rewrite and improve your Specific Aims page at least once or twice, and then send it to SES for at least one edit. - Carefully read the grant instructions and understand the priorities of the funding NIH institute.
Incorporate the language used in the FOA or IC mission statement into your proposal. Ensure that your application adheres to the correct formatting requirements specified in the call (e.g., font size and page limits), and that it includes all required sections. - Contact your Program Officer and review the Study Section roster.
Send an email to your Program Officer to ask if they would read your Specific Aims page and give you feedback. The Program Officer can provide guidance on how to improve your application for their mechanism, or whether a different mechanism would be more appropriate for your application. Study Section rosters list the standing members of a Study Section, and can give you a good idea of who will be reviewing your grant. Include diplomatic citations to their work, if appropriate. - Revise your Specific Aims page based on the Program Officer’s feedback.
Rewrite and improve your Specific Aims page based on the Program Officer’s advice. Incorporate any continuing feedback from your mentor and colleagues. - Expand your Specific Aims page into the Research Strategy.
A well-written Specific Aims page serves as the outline for your Research Strategy. Each Aim should be based on a sub-hypothesis of your long-term goal. - Participate in a Research Forum or NIH Mock Study Section.
The Research Forum and NIH Mock Study Section provide valuable mechanisms for getting expert critical feedback on your grant proposal, which allows you to address identifiable issues before submission. Be advised that the Research Forum meets once per month and the NIH Mock Study Section currently meets twice per year. - Send your grant application to SES for editing.
Early engagement ensures that SES can perform comprehensive editing for your grant application.
- Writing an NIH grant application
- NIH grant writing tip sheets
- How to write the NIH Specific Aims page
- NIH Next-Generation Researchers Initiative
- NIH rigor and reproducibility guidelines
- NIH Biosketch instructions and samples
- NIH Institutes mission statements
- Contacting staff at NIH Institutes and Centers
- NIH Center for Scientific Review study sections and officers
“All I have to say is WOW! Thank you so much for these tremendously helpful edits. I’ve literally been absorbed in them for the last 24 hours and cannot imagine how much time and effort went into this task. [The K08 achieved a perfect score of 10.]“
Kevin Xu, MD, MPH, WashU Medicine, on K08 editing 2022
“Your edits elevated my work on a scientific level; they went far beyond simple copy editing. I was genuinely amazed by how the proposal read after your revisions. Also, the comments regarding norms and good practices for outlining different sections were extremely helpful.”
Mitra Naseh PhD, WashU Brown School of Social Work, on K01 editing 2023
“Thank you for your prompt and thorough review of my grant application. Given the short timeline, you provided a great deal of helpful information. We hope to expand this grant into something much stronger and more robust over the next 6-12 months based on your insight.”
Joseph Finney, MD, WashU Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, on EMF foundation grant editing 2022
“WOW – your edits and feedback are incredible! Thank you for the level of detail you provided and for the quick turnaround on the review of my documents. Your edits are incredibly helpful and greatly appreciated.”
Kerri Morgan, PhD, WashU Medicine, Occupational Therapy, on R01 editing 2022
For general information and queries, contact DOM-ICTSEditor@wustl.edu.
Jenny McKenzie, PhD, Co-Director and Navigator
Paul Cassidy, PhD, Senior Scientific Editor
Laura Zonia, PhD, Senior Scientific Editor
Jennifer Harlow, Research Development Program Manager