NIH’s adoption of the Common Forms for the Biographical Sketch, Supplement Form, and Current and Pending (Other) Support marks a departure from the way these documents have been completed. This post covers the Biographical Sketch and Supplement Form. While the process and layout are different, the information required is, overall, relatively similar.
The Biographical Sketch now consists of:
- Identifying information. Notably, the eRA Commons username is no longer required. This has been replaced by mandatory inclusion of the Persistent Identifier (PID), better known as ORCiD.
- Professional Preparation (formerly Education/Training). Each entry now requires a start date (month and year) in addition to an end date.
- Appointments and Positions. NIH instructions regarding this section have created some confusion among readers, as they include a 3-year time limit prior to submission for certain positions. NIH issued clarification: The 3-year time limit applies to service positions such as journal editorial service or holding office in professional societies. However, if the service position is relevant to the application in question, it may be included even if it exceeds the 3-year limit. All academic positions throughout a person’s career should still be included.
In order to continue to capture all of the information that was historically included in the Biographical sketch, NIH added the Biosketch Supplement Form. The Supplement Form includes the following sections:
- Personal Statement. The Personal Statement, previously Section A of the biographical sketch, is now included in the newly created BioSketch Supplement Form, and is limited to 3,500 characters.
- Honors. Limited to 15 entries.
- Contributions to Science. Still allows up to 5 contributions (now 2,000 characters each). There is no longer mention of inclusion of up to four (4) supporting publications or research products for each contribution. Under the new guidelines, users can reference up to 5 products that were listed in the Other Significant Products section of the Biographical Sketch. While there is no specific format for these referenced products, NIH recommends to include the title, author’s last name, publication, and/or year of publication. Citations are not allowed. Based on the information available, it does not seem to be 5 products per contribution but rather 5 products overall. If NIH provides additional guidance regarding this item, we’ll be sure to share it here.
For more information, see the NIH guidance and the FAQ.
For our infographic, including side-by-side reference sheet for old vs. new Biosketch, click here.
