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KPNO Observing Proposals for Spring 1995:...(1Sep94)
Part II - How to Write a Successful Proposal
(from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 39, 1 September 1994)

Each semester, KPNO receives typically 270 proposals for observing time. Of
those of you who apply for time, some 64% are successful, but more than a
third of all investigators receive no time at all. The KPNO Telescope
Allocation Committee provides comments on proposals which are turned down,
but often the difference between a successful proposal and one which is not
is hard to define, particularly for those which fall in the "grey" area of
good proposals which don't quite make it onto the schedule. Often the TAC
comments only that the significance of the project to the general field could
be better justified.

To improve your chances of success, consider the philosophy behind the KPNO
allocation process. KPNO receives an extraordinarily diverse range of
proposals, and each of the two subcommittees of the TAC is only a few
individuals. We select TAC members to include expertise in the areas in which
we receive large numbers of proposals, and we augment the TAC with
individuals with a broad range of experience to cover the other fields. For
many proposals, at most one member of the TAC is a specialist in the field;
for a few, no member is. Many proposals dive too quickly into details without
providing the TAC with the overview needed to understand the broader issues
in the field. (This is especially true of proposals from astronomers who work
in the space sciences, in which proposals are often reviewed by panels of
experts.) It is not sufficient to tell the TAC that the observations are
important. They need help to understand why, and the burden of providing a
clear explanation falls on the proposer.

Caty Pilachowski

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