Project Report Guidelines and Requirements for Investigators

1. In Sum:

There are two options for annual Florida Sea Grant project reports: Either an interim report using only a Synopsis (item 4, below), or a final report with a Synopsis plus narrative (item 5, below).

 

2. Introduction: Use and Type of Reports

These guidelines are intended to help the investigator prepare -- with an economy of time and effort -- a report that describes project results in ways that offer a basis for evaluating project outcomes and extending information to key audiences. This is required information which becomes a part of the permanent project file in the National Sea Grant (NSG) Program Office. The quality of your report is important due to the potential audiences which include Congress, the Federal executive branch, educated laymen, users and industry, as well as peers in agencies and academia. Particularly noteworthy accomplishments will be highlighted independently for NSG, university officials, and others, who use them as documentation of program success. Florida Sea Grant incorporates the information in educational programs, also.
 

For multi-year projects only an interim report, or synopsis, is required annually, until the final year. At completion, projects must submit a comprehensive final report along with a synopsis for the entire project. Final reports are due on the last day of the project, ordinarily being January 31 (or as extended) for Annual Projects run on a 12-month basis, and at various other times for National Strategic Initiative and Program Development projects. Deadline is noted specifically in a letter sent to the investigators.

Reimbursement of the final 10% of the award is delayed until all reporting is completed.
 
3. Submittal and Follow-up
 
Following the instructions below, either use the fill-in form at the end of this document or use the designated headings to create an electronic document.
 

Please send the report electronically to: jhw04@ufl.edu.

Infrequently a report includes hard copy attachments, CDs, or diskettes that cannot be sent electronically. These should be mailed to: Florida Sea Grant College Program, University of Florida, PO Box 110400, Gainesville, FL 32611-0400.

The Campus Coordinator for Sea Grant should receive a copy of the Synopsis only.

After initial review on receipt, we also view the final synopsis about two years after the end of the project to incorporate any final results, accomplishments or benefits, and record publications that lag behind the report.

 
4. Synopsis as the Interim Report
 

The few pages that make up the Interim Synopsis summarize the accomplishments to date from the start of the project and related statistical information. The Synopsis is due at the end of each project year. (The Synopsis completed at the end of the project, meanwhile, covers the entire length of the project, and serves as an executive summary for the narrative final report.) Complete instructions are given below.
 
5. Final Report: Synopsis Plus Narrative

 

Final reports to Florida Sea Grant must fulfill two requirements: (1) Document the conduct of a project with sufficient detail so that the validity of its findings can be evaluated, and replication of the study would be possible. (2) Provide to appropriate audiences the results of a project in such a way as to be directly applicable to meeting the needs that originally motivated the study.

5. A. The Final Synopsis -- covering the entire life of the project -- is used as an executive summary for potential readers of the entire report. It is accompanied by the Final Report Narrative (Section 5.B). Complete instructions are given below.

 
5. B. Instructions for Final Report Narrative Accompanying Final Synopsis
 

A final report narrative supplements the Synopsis with details of project methodology and results that document how the work was done and data analyzed. "Flexibility" and "Thoroughness" are the watchwords for final reports. Readership for a final report will depend on the original objectives of the project. Because of Sea Grant's multiple audiences, plus our concern that reports not just occupy library shelves, it may not be desirable to place all report information in a single document. Scientists may require a technical journal article, agencies a data report, and industry an advisory flyer. Although the conduct of a project must be documented in the report to Sea Grant, if the report can do that while still in the format appropriate to a designated readership, then part or all of a separate narrative is unnecessary.

Investigators are encouraged to consider how a variety of formats may be employed to communicate effectively with both peers in the discipline and technical and lay interests in the marine community. Contact with FSG staff is welcomed. Some options for complete or partial satisfaction of final report requirements include:

 
  1. One or more journal articles, in draft or published form. Strongly encouraged. This option insures scientific credibility and adequate treatment of project methodology. It is reasonably inexpensive, and is a factor in faculty advancement. Faculty must be careful to see that reprints get to Florida Sea Grant even years after the conclusion of a project. We are required to send them to the Sea Grant Pell Depository.
  2. A Florida Sea Grant publication, either as a Report, Extension Bulletin, Technical Paper, or Fact Sheet, or some combination of these. (See FSG Publications Guides.)
  3. A comprehensive "gray literature" dissertation-type report covering introduction, methods, results, discussion, etc. (The author should inform Sea Grant of the primary audiences.)
  4. One or more graduate student dissertations or theses.
  5. Some other format such as a map or atlas, video, education curriculum material or a website to which the FSG home page can provide a link.
  6. Multiple formats, including two or more of the preceding options.

 

Because we must be consistent and thorough in reporting, Florida Sea Grant reserves the right to request a rewrite if necessary. Final reimbursement of project expenses may be delayed until all reporting is completed.
 
6. Instructions for Synopsis
 

Please use the following 10 major headings and accompanying subheadings to provide information requested. For your convenience, a "fill-in form" for this purpose is provided (see below). Or you may create your own document using the headings.

Item 1. Synopsis Form
Indicate if the Synopsis is Interim or Final. An Interim Synopsis is the only report required until the end of the project and covers the most recent 12 months of the project. A Final Synopsis is more detailed and covers the entire life of the project and serves as the executive summary for the final report.

Item 2. Date
Indicate the date the Synopsis is prepared.

Item 3. Project Title
Indicate the title of the project.

Item 4. Project Number
Indicate the Sea Grant project number. This number usually begins with R/ or E/ or PD. Ordinarily it will be given in the memo requesting the report. Do not use your institution's internal financial account numbers.

Item 5. Investigators
Give the name of each principal and associate investigator.

Item 6. Institution
Indicate the name of your institution.

Item 7. Dates Covered
Indicate the time period covered for the Synopsis, either the project life to date or entire project.

Item 8. Results and Discussion
This four-part section (A-D) documents the findings and results of the project, and describes their meaning and significance.

8. A. Attainment of Technical Objectives
Assess the success of meeting each objective identified in the proposal, as initially approved or later modified. For each objective: 1) state the objective, 2) tell the degree to which it has been met, and 3) describe the technical findings and conclusion in a paragraph or two. This language should be informative, not just indicative (i.e., don't say "a new process was developed," but rather "the XYZ method increases productivity by 20%"). A sample statement might begin, "Objective 1 -- To increase survival of juvenile...by 50%. This objective has been met. Survival of...was increased 67% by altering culture tanks in the following way:..." For a project in process, indicate the approximate percentage of completion of each objective, e.g., 30%, 50%, etc. If an objective was not 100% complete at the end of a project, indicate why.

8. B. Advancement of the Field
A. Based on the preceding account, summarize and interpret in 250 to 500 words, what these results mean to your discipline. Be sure to describe two aspects: Scientific discoveries that have been made, and how they contribute to the field; and any new methodologies developed. (Note: This information is particularly useful in the quadrennial NOAA review to determine program merit budget awards.) Attachment of one or a few very good digital pictures, with explanatory caption is encouraged.

8. C. Problems Encountered (if any)
Describe major problems encountered during the study and how they were addressed. Of particular interest are problems with experimental protocols and how they were resolved.

8. D. New Research Directions (if any)
Identify new research directions pursued during the course of the project and reasons for modifying original research plans. Describe how the changed research agenda improved the project.

Item 9. Accomplishments

The eight items (A-H) in this section measure some of the products and impacts of the work.

9. A. Students Supported
Record the name (last, first, initial) of each student involved with the project. Indicate whether undergraduate (U) or graduate (G), and with keywords or short phrases describe their role (e.g., U-field interviewer, G-in charge of lab analyses).

9. B. Graduate Theses and Dissertations and Student Placement
Please give complete citation for theses and dissertations (student's name, month and year completed or expected, level of degree, title, dept., institution). Please provide a copy of the abstract of the thesis or dissertation when complete. If known, provide the initial job placement of the student in industry, academia, or the government sector. Include the name of employer and title. If pursuing an additional degree, provide the university, academic department and degree pursued. Provide any additional information on the impact the student has made in initial placement (or since beginning the career).

9. C. Publications (Other Than Theses and Dissertations)
List in standard academic format (authors, year, title, journal/publisher, volume, number, page information) the citations of literature produced during the reporting period. Include journal articles, book chapters, extension bulletins, etc., submitted, in press and printed. Please spell completely the names of journals and proceedings.

Please provide a paper (6 copies) or electronic version copy of each journal and proceedings article, book and book chapter resulting from the project. If there is a link to the journal electronically, please also indicate that. This material is a Federal requirement.

9. D. Presentations and Meetings Organized
Cite any presentations resulting from the project, including conferences, legislative testimony, interviews. List meetings/ sessions you organized ancillary to the project. Were workshops held? Be quantitative in documenting this. Were extension agents involved, and how? Describe outcomes, if not indicated elsewhere in the report.

9. E. Patents, Copyrights, Disclosures of Invention, Technology Licensing
Give appropriate description.

 9. F. Prizes and Honors Awarded to Project Personnel
Please identify professional recognitions for faculty and students, including fellowships.

9. G. Sources of Matching Funds for Project Budget
These are the sponsors identified in the original proposal.

9. H. New Extramural Funding in Addition to Matching Funds
Please list the titles, funds, duration and sponsors of all grants and contracts that were secured as a follow-up or adjunct to this Sea Grant project. Indicate if they are in effect or pending. (The intent is to determine activity in leveraging Sea Grant support to obtain additional funding.) Do not include grants and contracts that are not linked to the Sea Grant project in some way.

Item 10. Benefits
Please describe impacts and applications of the results using sections A, B and C. Benefits go beyond Results and Accomplishments to provide information on direct physical, environmental, economic or social gains realized as a result of a research project or outreach activity. Quantifiable and documentable benefits may include economic benefits which includes jobs saved and/or created; value added to a process or product, and/or cost savings; use of research information by target constituents to implement and/or change the way they conduct business, use resources, and/or change the quality of human life and the environment. (Estimates or predictions may be made at the time of the final project report. The final updating of this section will likely be requested several years after the end of the project.)

10. A. Discovery and Application of New Products and Processes
Describe either the actual or the anticipated products or processes discovered or developed in the project, such as for the seafood, aquaculture or natural products industries. Please be quantitative. For example, indicate the revenues of a new product, number of jobs created, or stage of clinical trials.

10. B. Tools, Technologies and Information for Improved Ecosystem Management
Describe how project results are being (or will be) translated into sustainable use and management of coastal and ocean ecosystems. Tools might include benthic habitat maps or environmental sensitivity indicators. Technologies might include remote and bio-sensing, genetic markers, and culture systems. Information might include technical assistance, training and educational materials. For all situations, please indicate the user/stakeholder/partner, such as a federal, state or local authority, and how they are (or will be) applying Sea Grant project results. (Note that "forecasting" is a special case, treated in item C below, at the request of NOAA.)

10. C. Forecasting for Natural Resource Manager Decisions
Describe how results already are being used -- or are expected to be used after project completion -- by natural resource managers to make decisions based on project forecasts. Forecasts may be due to field and laboratory studies and models. Examples include hypoxia forecast models, algal bloom alerts, forecasts of fishery harvest, and prediction of impacts from ecosystem stressors such as pollutants or invasive species.

10. D. Other Benefits. Describe impacts that do not logically fall into one of the categories (A-C) above. These impacts may involve behavioral, policy or economic changes. Seminal contributions to science are considered impacts especially if the research findings lead to major progress in a particular field, implementation of new technologies or have a substantive bearing on an economic or societal issue.

For More Information

Charles Sidman, Associate Director
csidman@ufl.edu
Phone: 352.392.5870

 

Karl Havens, Director
khavens@ufl.edu
Phone: 352.392.5870
 
Synopsis Form (Microsoft Word fill-in form)
 

The fill-in form is a Word document and should be saved to your computer, completed, and then sent as an attachment to the address given in section 3. Thank you.