January 18, 2013
"Products of research are not just publications." —Beth Strausser
On 14 January, the National Science Foundation (NSF) revised its Grant Proposal Guide to reflect the changing realities of what counts as scientific bona fides, and also to help rectify long-standing confusion over its "broader impacts" review criteria. (A summary of these changes can be found here, while the complete, updated guide ishere.) Probably the most significant change is in the wording in the biosketch section, which now will direct proposers to list five research "products" directly related to the proposal, and up to five additional products, in place of a list of publications. "It's just a recognition of a broadening of what could be put into the biographical sketch," NSF senior policy specialist Beth Strausser tellsScience Careers in an interview. "Products of research are not just publications."
The proposal guide's new language states that "[a]cceptable products must be citable and accessible including but not limited to publications, data sets, software, patents, and copyrights." Explicitly excluded are "unpublished documents not yet submitted for publication, invited lectures, and additional lists of products."
NSF's list is suggestive, but it leaves much to the imagination. So we asked Strausser for some clarification—and learned that NSF does have a pretty specific idea of what it's looking for. NSF grant applicants, Strausser says, should list only "formal products of research." If it's been published somewhere, it needs to be something "formally vetted by an editorial board or something of that nature."
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