I’m often asked if there is a required way to format references on an NIH application. The answer is no. SF424 is silent on the issue of how to format references; therefore, applicants format them as they prefer. They can also cite them as they wish.
However, given that space is at a premium on nearly every application, my preference is to steer away from citation styles that list authors and year because it takes up so much space. My strong preference is numbered references. Numbered superscripts are even better because they take up the least amount of space possible. If the reason you are disinclined to use numbered citations is because you want to emphasize that a publication is recent or in a high-impact journal, for example, then I suggest that you do so by mentioning it in the text rather than using a cumbersome citation style throughout the document that would gobble up a surprising amount of precious space.I’m also often asked whether you need references on the Specific Aims page. There is no NIH requirement to use references on the aims page. That said, in the last few years there has been a trend toward applicants including them. That was not true for most of my decades-long career with NIH applications, but I have definitely noticed that most applicants do include them.
