Frequently Asked Questions for Applicants

Top 10 Peer Review Q&As for NIH Applicants

1. What are the biggest problems reviewers find in applications?
2. I addressed the concerns from the prior critiques and my score got worse. Why?
3. I don't like the review group you put my application into. What can I do?
4. How do you guard against a single reviewer having undue influence at the review?
5. When will I receive word on my application?
6. Must I wait for my summary statement before submitting my idea again?
7. I'm a reviewer, can I submit my application late?
8. I've read the definitions of Significance and Overall Impact but the two still seem rather similar. Can you provide some additional guidance?
9. I'm confused about the term "scientific premise or rigor" and how it is different from "significance." Can you tell me what reviewers are supposed to be looking for?
10. How do I withdraw my application?

Bonus: How can I find a Program Officer or Scientific Review Officer to answer questions before submitting my application?

Top 100 NIH Peer Review Q&As

• Application Submission and Referral
• Continuous Submission for Reviewers
• Review Process
• Premise, Rigor, Sex as a Biological Variable
• Conflict of Interest/Confidentiality
• Investigator Career Stage Benefits
• Early Career Reviewer (ECR) Program
• How Inclusion Is Considered in the NIH Peer Review Process
• Post Submission Materials Policy
• Materials for Fellowships
• Submitting Videos
• Clinical Trials
• Vertebrate Animals
• Model Organisms
• SBIR/STTR
• R15 Specific

Have More Questions?

Reviewers: Check out our Top NIH Peer Review Q&As for Reviewers.

Applicant and Reviewers: Check out the larger collection of application and review questions on the NIH Office of Extramural Research Web site. Thanks go to this office for contributing Q&As to make CSR’s top 10 and 100 Q&A lists.