Engaging social-emotional motivators to improve the grant writing experience: a workshop model for teaching...

Grant writing is an important skill that scientists must acquire in order to have successful careers as independent researchers. However, despite its importance, many scientists report that they do not enjoy grant writing because it is stressful, lonely, requires a lot of time and effort, and involves the possibility of rejection. As a result, many scientists have more negative associations with grant writing than positive ones. In this article, we offer a novel intervention in the form of a social-emotional learning (SEL)-informed workshop and accompanying handout for emerging scientists to build more positive associations with their writing. The approaches in this workshop intentionally leverage SEL motivators (such as scientific identity, sense of purpose, and community) to help grant writers overcome common challenges that accompany the writing process. A pre-post survey analysis of this workshop showed a shift from negative/challenge-focused attitudes and perceptions toward grant writing toward positive/process-focused ones after the workshop. This 1-hour intervention can be facilitated by research development professionals, lab leaders, or anyone teaching scientific writing for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs.