New Publication: Mapping the Federal Discretionary Grant Review Process - by Laura LB

I'm excited to release my new peer-reviewed journal article, published in the November 2018 Grant Professional Association's Journal. It is titled Mapping the Federal Discretionary GrantReview Process: What a Grant Seeker CanExpect After Submission.

Do you have experience as a peer reviewer or a panelist or panel chairperson for federal or government grant or contract reviews?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic, and if your experiences have bee similar to mine, or have differed. Please comment or send me a direct message and let me know what you think.

Abstract: 
This article researches and investigates the peer review process that takes place in discretionary federal grants. It seeks to provide a research-based understanding of specific grant review phases through review of current literature and a series of interviews with specialists in federal peer review. The article explores committee and panel processes, what qualifies as scored criteria, how criteria responses are evaluated, the numerical scoring process, and the panel review process. A high-level focus is to remove the “guessing game” from the review process, to provide grant professionals with greater clarity in writing and leading to more successful applications. In responding to any request for proposal (RFP), grant professionals must understand review processes in a step-by-step fashion. From committee design and leadership to what takes place in review panel meetings, this article details success-determining factors within an RFP which an applicant might otherwise overlook. This article is useful for both new and seasoned grant professionals to understand a research-based approach to developing federal grant applications.