Karen Marrongelle & Ping Li 
Having Success with NSF 
A Practical Guide

This book is designed to help researchers achieve success in
funding their National Science Foundation (NSF) research proposals.
The book discusses aspects of the proposal submission and review
process that are not typically communicated to the research
community. Written by authors with successful track records
in grant writing and years of experience as NSF Program Directors,
this book provides an insider’s view of successful
grantsmanship. Written in a practical approach, this book
offers tips that will not be found in official paperwork and
provides answers to questions frequently asked of NSF Program
Directors. The purpose of the book is to improve your NSF
grant-writing skills and improve your chances of funding.

Table of Content

Preface vii

About the Author xi

1 Getting Started 1

2 Preparing Your Proposal 17

3 Submitting Your Proposal 48

4 Reviewing of Your Proposal 58

5 Revising Your Proposal 73

6 Managing Your Grant 87

7 Extending the Horizon 99

Index 108

About the author

Ping Li is Professor of Psychology, Linguistics, and
Information Sciences and Technology, Co-Chair of the Neuroscience
Graduate Program, and Co-Director of the Center for Brain,
Behavior, and Cognition at Pennsylvania State University. His books
include The Acquisition of Lexical and Grammatical Aspect
(co-authored with Yasuhiro Shirai, 2000, Mouton de Gruyter), The
Handbook of East Asian Psycholinguistics (three volumes
co-edited with colleagues, 2006, Cambridge University Press),
The Expression of Time (co-edited with W. Klein, 2009,
Mouton de Gruyter), and The Psycholinguistics of
Bilingualism (co-authored with François Grosjean and other
guest contributors, 2012, Wiley). He is Editor of the journal
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Associate Editor of
Frontiers in Language Science, and President of the
Society for Computers in Psychology. He has served as
Program Director for the Cognitive Neuroscience Program and
the Program in Perception, Action, and Cognition at the
National Science Foundation, as well as principal investigator,
co-investigator, or consultant for many projects funded by the
NSF.

Karen Marrongelle is Assistant Vice Chancellor for
Academic Standards and Collaborations at the Oregon University
System and Professor in the Fariborz Maseeh Department of
Mathematics & Statistics at Portland State University. She has
published numerous articles and reports in the area of
undergraduate mathematics education research and mathematics
professional development. She has served as Program Director in the
Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal
Settings at the National Science Foundation, as well as a
principal investigator, co-investigator, or consultant for many
projects funded by the NSF.