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.
Why not change the name of the “Narrative” to “Public Health Statement” to more clearly guide applicants?
NIH Staff says: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.
Sam F says: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?
NIH Staff says:Please follow the application instructions in this case. We have updated the post to reflect this. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Jeffrey Ram says:Is there a specific form that should be uploaded for the narrative or is a pdf with three sentences in it sufficient?
NIH Staff says: There is no specific format required. Jason says:If the proposal is going to be awarded, can a project summary/abstract be changed/modified before the award is issued?
NIH Staff says:There may be situations where the summary/abstract is updated prior to award. In such cases, the funding IC will work with the applicant to update as appropriate.
Bingcheng Wang says: Can we change the summary/abstract during the annual noncompetitive renewal? Roman says:Can you please add the Specific Aims to this table comparison? I am confused why you are having us write both a Summary and a Specific Aims, which seems like a duplication of the work. Thanks
Patti Blasco says:I agree. If you submit specific aims in a separate document, why are they to be included in the project summary which is only 30 lines?
Margaret says:For the Project Summary/Abstract, can you please confirm if blank lines do not count toward the 30 lines of text limit and also if a document header does count as a line of text?
Ana says: Can you include figures in the abstract? Sandra says:The Project Summary/Abstract format requirement states it’s limited to 30 lines of text, and must follow the required font and margin specifications. There’s further information that states “The entire “Project Summary/Abstract” attachment is limited to 30 lines of text”. Does this mean the heading would be included in the 30 lines of text?
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