For anyone curious about what it’s really like to be a scientist—here’s something you might not expect: I’ve spent more time lately writing grants than doing actual research.
Right now I’m knee-deep in NIH proposals (yes, still submitting for now…). Grant writing is pretty repetitive, explaining the science for multiple opportunities, and it is draining, even though I am a pretty good writer. It’s very important to craft your specific aims and tailor everything to each RFA & the relevant guidelines. It’s hard to make space for experiments or analysis when this kind of writing dominates your schedule. Essentially, for any single scientific activity I want to do, I am writing multiple proposals first. Not trying to complain – this is just our reality as scientists.
This is anecdotal, but I’m not the only one seeing scientists & researchers spend about half of their time writing (https://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process#1).
For anyone not yet in the field—this is just one glimpse into the less glamorous, but very real side of science. It’s not just lab coats and discoveries. It’s paperwork, deadlines, and a lot of writing.
Curious to hear how others manage this part of the job—or how you wish it could be better.
Comments
Yes it would be wonderful if money just fell from trees.
Build up your reputation, and it should get easier.
Isn’t that what grad students are for? At least that was my impression while i still had any desire to involve the letters PhD in my life
When I was a naïve kid, I thought I’d be spending all my time designing experiments too. It turns out most of my life is teaching, paperwork, and writing. But I love my research still.
In terms of your struggle here, I think handling the load of writing is all about finding the best tools and processes that work for you. Could you imagine teaching without Canvas?
I’ve tried a bunch of tools to make my life easier. I use Notion for managing some of my admin tasks, with some success. When writing grants, I started to grab my old grants, some papers, and whatever data I’ve got, then throw it at Grantease for help writing a first draft aligned to the RFA. I usually give Zotero a try too so I can easily get my citations handled. Then, I get a quick look from peers or someone else.
I’m definitely saving time. Of course I still sit there tweaking my proposals so I actually win.
Overall though, I learned to love the teaching part of my job a ton. Some students are really bright and I enjoy bringing them into my lab.