7.2 Proposal Preparation Checklist

 

Table 7.2: Proposal Preparation Checklist 

Step	Procedure
1) Review the Phase I Roadmap	The roadmap (http://apst.stsci.edu/apt/external/help/roadmap1.html) is a high level step-by-step guide to writing a Phase I Proposal. It includes links to various documents and training videos.
2) Install APT	Go to the APT Web Page. Follow the instructions there to download and install the latest version of APT onto your machine. You can also ask your system administrator to do an institution-wide installation.
3) Fill out the APT Phase I form	Use APT to fill out the Phase I form. Information on the use of APT, including movie tutorials, is available on the APT Web Page. A description of which items are requested as well as guidelines for answers are presented in Chapter 8. Proposers can save work in progress, so APT submission can be completed over several sessions.
4) Download a template file for the creation of your PDF attachment	Go to the Cycle 19 Announcement Web Page. Download one of the templates to create your PDF attachment. There are separate template files for GO/SNAP and for AR/Theory proposals. Template files are available in several popular word-processing applications, including LaTeX and Microsoft Word.
5) Edit the template	Edit the template using your favorite word-processing application. A description of which issues need to be discussed, and guidelines for how to discuss them, are presented in Chapter 9.
6) Create the PDF attachment.	Transform your edited template into a PDF file. Any figures in your proposal must be included into this PDF file. Go to the Cycle 19 Announcement Web Page for instructions on how to create a PDF file from your edited template, and for instructions on how to include figures. We will provide the reviewers with the electronic PDF files so that figures can be viewed in color. However there is no guarantee that the reviewers will view the files electronically, so please make sure your figures are useful when printed using grey scales.
7) Add the PDF filename path to the APT form	In your APT form, list in the appropriate box the path that points to the PDF attachment file on your local disk (see Section 8.11).
8) Review your proposal	In APT, click on ‘PDF Preview’ to get a preview of all the final information in your proposal. What you see is exactly what the reviewers who judge your proposal will see. If you are not satisfied, make any necessary changes.
9) Institutional Endorsement	STScI does not require institutional endorsement of GO/AR proposals in Phase I. However, some institutions do require such endorsement of all submitted proposals. It is the responsibility of each PI to follow all applicable institutional policies concerning the submission of proposals.
10) Submit your proposal	In APT, click ‘Submit’ to submit your proposal to STScI. All parts are sent together (i.e., both the APT Form information and the PDF attachment).
11) Receive an STScI acknowledgment of your submission	Verification of a successful submission will appear in the Submission Log on the Submission Screen in the APT within about a minute. Within a few days the PI and all CoIs will receive an email acknowledgment that the merged PDF submission was received successfully. That email will mark the completion of the submission. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within a week, please contact the STScI Help Desk and provide the submission ID information from the APT Submission Log window. If there are any problems associated with your PDF attachment, you will be contacted by email separately.