When writing an NIH grant application, applicants are asked to develop a Project Summary/Abstract and a Project Narrative, two sections that, if funded, are made available on RePORTER to help the public understand the value of NIH-funded research. Check out the table below to see how they compare and what to include.
| Project Summary/Abstract | Project Narrative |
| A succinct and accurate description of the proposed work | Communicates the public health relevance of the project to the public |
| 30 lines of text or less | No more than 2-3 sentences |
| Should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and understandable to a scientifically literate reader | Use plain language understandable by a general audience |
| Include: the project’s broad, long-term objectives and specific aims, and a description of the research design and methods. Do not include: proprietary or confidential information, or descriptions of past accomplishments. | Describe how, in the short or long term, the research would contribute to: the fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems, and/or the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. |
| If the application is funded, the summary/abstract will be available on RePORTER | If the application is funded, the narrative will be available on RePORTER |
For more guidance, see the Application Guide for Project Summary/Abstract and Project Narrative.
Share
Why not change the name of the “Narrative” to “Public Health Statement” to more clearly guide applicants?
Your suggestion makes perfect sense, Jed, and we would love to do that. But the form is a fed-wide form used by the research agencies, many of which do not have missions associated with public health, so the field name needs to be generic.
For the Project Summary/Abstract, this page says, “Use plain language understandable by a general audience,” while the application instructions say, “This section should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and understandable to a scientifically literate reader.” Which is it?
Please follow the application instructions in this case. We have updated the post to reflect this. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Is there a specific form that should be uploaded for the narrative or is a pdf with three sentences in it sufficient?
There is no specific format required.