from Objectives through Approach and Procedures. Up to four pages of schemes, figures and diagrams can be included in the text and will not be counted against the page limit. This first part should flow from one section to the next without new page breaks.

The Cover Page, Signature Page, Table of Contents, Project Summary, Objectives, Literature Cited, Past Accomplishments of Each Investigator, Issues of Concern Statement, and Appendices should all be started on new pages.

Plan Details

Cover Page (not counted in page limit)Example

National Program-The title of the National Program(s) under which the research described below is conducted.
Dates-State the general period in which the research project will be peer reviewed.
Old ARS Research Project Number-The project number for the expiring project. If projects are being combined, list those that are being combined. If a project is being split, note that the old project is being split during this process.
Research Management Unit -Name of Research Management Unit.
Location- City and State.
Title- A brief, clear, specific description of the project. Used alone, it should provide a clear indication of what the project is specifically about. It should not contain more than 140 characters including letters, symbols and spaces.
Investigator(s)-List all scientists assigned to conduct the research being planned and their percent commitment to the project, shown in decimal format (e.g., 0.5, 1.0). This will include all ARS Category 1 or 4 assigned to the project and possibly non-ARS scientists. Any non-ARS scientist must function in a role equivalent to an ARS Category 1 or 4 scientist. Identify the Lead Scientist.All scientists not employed by ARS need to be identified as 'non-ARS' scientists. The investigator list should reflect what is proposed for the new project, and need not match the SY listing of the current project in ARIS. Everyone on the list must have an accomplishments section in the back of the plan.
Scientific Staff Years- List as a decimal, i.e., 2.75. (Does not include scientists not employed by the ARS. However to determine the page limit, calculate an equivalent scientific year for non-ARS scientists.)
Planned Duration- List in terms of total months, i.e., 60 months.

Signatures (not counted in page limit)- Insert the appropriate Signature Page. Different signature pages are required for Pre-Review, Post-Review and Re-Review of the project plans.  Please note the statements that accompany signatures which imply signatory responsibility for the content of the project plan.

Table of Contents (not counted in page limit)- Include the major headings in your plan, as suggested in this section. The order may be altered to suit the scope and size of your plan; and to enhance clarity.  Use of Automatic formatting is encouraged to eliminate problems when page numbering changes.

Project Summary (not counted in page limit)- Like the abstract of a paper this should summarize the project in about 250 words (10 to 12 sentences).   The text should aim at a general audience and provide a clear description of the overall goals, essential questions/knowledge gaps, general approach, and expected outcomes or benefits of the research. It is crucial that the reader gain a clear, but brief, knowledge of your project here to enable them to better understand the context for the greater detail provided later in the document.

Objectives- The objectives should be as in the PDRAM.  Accompanying this should be one to three paragraphs illustrating the linkages and general bases for this set of objectives to be part of this plan. This provides a framework for the objectives and a clear context that will guide the reviewer.   A figure to illustrate the relationships among objectives, overall goals or outcomes, and staff can be most valuable and is strongly encouraged ( Example of a Flow Chart). Such a figure or diagram can be useful in refining the prior Project Summary section.

Need for Research- This short section (1-2 pages) summarizes the nature of the problem to be addressed, its relevance to the National Program Action Plan, the anticipated products, the potential benefits, the customers/recipients of the research, and, where appropriate, their involvement.   Rather than detailing these as individual subsections, including the information in a single narrative will provide a clear picture while conserving pages. Build upon, rather than repeat, the project summary.

Scientific Background- Do not repeat information from the previous sections.   The "Scientific Background" section should focus on presenting the relevant (key) literature and identifying the gaps in knowledge the research addresses.   This is, primarily, a discussion of the gaps in knowledge that the research is intended to address.   The literature cited should be sufficient to allow reviewers to conclude the investigators have current knowledge and understanding of the field of study, not a comprehensive review. This should be no more than 1/3 of your allowed pages in length.  

Results of past projects or other preliminary results of the investigators relevant to the current project plan may also be presented.    If applicable, try to show how your project relates to other ongoing research within and outside ARS.  It is not necessary to cite every ARS Research Project: only those relevant.   Some of these projects might be discussed under collaborations in the Approach and Procedures section.   It is important that peer reviewers see that investigators are aware of others performing similar research.

Related Research- This very important section shows the relationship of the research to other efforts within and outside USDA. Do not repeat detail that may be in the prior section. This includes the CRIS search. If not included in the scientific background you may make this a separate section. The purpose is to show linkages and relation to other, related and similar, work. This is particularly important where there are related or analogous ARS projects. As well, if there are significant efforts outside of ARS, demonstrating your knowledge and/or cooperation with them can be important to note here or elsewhere (For example, as a collaborator in the Approach and Procedures section). See CRIS Search for information on doing a search for related USDA research.

Approach and Research Procedures- For each objective, elaborate on the following:

Experimental Design - Describe in appropriate detail the experimental design and the related procedures.   State, if applicable, the question ( hypothesis) that will be tested and how experimental results will be evaluated.    Detail should be sufficient to inform the reviewer of the nature and appropriateness of the planned experiments and the competence of the project team.

Contingencies - Discuss specific approaches and experimental options that will be undertaken if the research plan proceeds faster or slower than anticipated, or if early plans prove impractical or unsuccessful.   (See Box: Contingencies).