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Dana Lehr's Suggestions on Writing Annual Reports
Text Version of Fastlane Input Categories
Dear NSF Fellows:
It's that time of year for another long email from me that you should read very thoroughly...
Please recall that each and every NSF awardee must submit an Annual Report through FastLane 90 days prior to the anniversary of the award start date. The submission of your Annual Report triggers the processing of your next award increment, so your stipend payments and other allowances may be delayed if you submit a late report. Please take care to note on your calendars the 90-day deadline prior to the anniversary of your award start date and to submit your reports on time. Some guidelines for these reports can be found below.
Please note that if you delayed the initial start of your fellowship tenure for any reason, your official award start date may precede the date that you began your fellowship activities. So, CHECK YOUR AWARD LETTER or your FastLane account to determine the appropriate reporting deadline date. Your award start date was determined by the start date that you requested on your fellowship acceptance form (or in subsequent communication prior to the processing of your award letter). If you delayed your start date once your award letter was processed, your reporting deadlines may appear to be out of sync with the date that you began your fellowship activities. To repeat: your official award start date is identified in your NSF award letter. Your tenure start date is identified on your Fellowship Starting Certificate. These dates may not be the same, and it's the date on your award letter that counts for reporting deadlines.
It is unnecessary to file an Annual Report during the final year of your fellowship; instead, a Final Report is due no later than 90 days after your award end date. The Final Report is just a different name for an annual report for your last year, so there's no difference except for the deadline date. For those completing their fellowships this year, recall also that you must submit a Fellowship Termination Certificate immediately upon the completion of your tenure.
See the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide, available at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=papp , for a very thorough description of PI responsibilities. In particular, a description of reporting requirements can be found at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf08_1/aag_2.jsp#IIE .
The Fastlane project report format identifies several subsections, and you will be prompted to enter a response in each of these sections. You don't need to provide text in every category, but please respond to all subsections that are applicable to your project. For most of these sections, a paragraph or two of prose is sufficient. In contrast, the "Activities" and "Findings" sections of your report should be expanded. The audience is your program officer (i.e., yours truly--a Ph.D. astrophysicist but not necessarily in your subfield), who will use the information to ensure progress on your work. S/he will also use these reports to glean material for NSF annual reports, suitable for Congress and the general public. Be sure to include any interesting activities for this purpose. Don't be afraid to talk down to me. ;-)
The expanded "Activities" and "Findings" sections should be at least a couple of pages in length and should describe in some detail both your research and education activities. Many PIs prefer to attach a PDF file for each of these sections in order to accommodate figures, photos, tables and other graphics that provide a comprehensive view of your research and education activities. (I highly recommend this approach!) Please do not use the PDF format to submit your responses to other report subsections, but feel free to duplicate text from your PDF files in other subsections as applicable.
Note that the Fastlane report system is cumulative. Each Annual Report should describe your most recent fellowship year, however, so please make sure to update the text and your accompanying PDF files appropriately. (Your publication list, in contrast, may be cumulative.) Please take care to identify the time period(s) for the activities that you describe. In general (at least the last time I checked), you must delete PDF files from earlier reports in order to submit an update. Please double-check for extraneous files before you submit your report.
Please take the reports seriously. Be thorough. Agency personnel are often asked to supply examples of what our awardees are doing. Future funding levels depend on our ability to prove that we're doing something useful with our program funds, and these reports provide a primary resource for this information. Here at NSF we are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and activities, so now is the time to boast!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions while you are authoring your reports. For technical FastLane issues, please contact the FastLane User Support line at 1-800-673-6188.
Thanks,
Dana
___________________________
Dana E. Lehr, Ph.D.
Division of Astronomical Sciences
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1045
Arlington, VA 22230
703-292-7456
703-292-9034 fax
dlehr@nsf.gov
In this section you will be asked:
This section will serve as your report to your program officer of your project's activities and findings. Please describe what you have done and what you have learned, broken down into four categories:
In this section, you will be asked to describe the tangible products coming out of your project. Specifically:
Now we invite you to explain ways in which your work, your findings, and specific products of your project are significant. Describe the unique contributions, major accomplishments, innovations and successes of your project relative to :