Proposal contents

Proposals are read and rated with this question in mind:

• Will this experiment result in a publication?

Proposal reviewers

The proposals are rated by panels of scientists who read many proposals at a time. Some things about these panel members that you should remember:

• They are busy professionals
• They are volunteers
• They are not necessarily experts in your field of research
• They are reading and rating 8 to 12 proposals at a time

Key Points for Successful Beamtime Proposals

• 2-3 pages: Take the time to make it short.

  "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte"
  "I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had time to make it shorter."
                              Blaise Pascal (1623-62)
                              17th-century French philosopher and mathematician

• Describe the importance of your science. Aim broadly – your proposal will be read by scientists who are not experts in your field and who may be trained in an entirely different scientific discipline. The introduction to your proposal should clarify the broad scientific interest of your proposal.

• Describe your experiment well. Include details of samples to be measured, and details of experimental setup if non-standard.

• Consult with beamline scientist and other collaborators before submitting proposal.

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