CIHR Instructions for External Reviewers

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Thank you for agreeing to review an application to CIHR for funding. We have invited your comments because of your recognized expertise in the research area or methodology contained in this application. Although you will not be participating directly in the peer review committee meeting, your insights will assist the Peer Review Committee to make an informed, fair, and rigorous assessment of this application which is in competition with many other applications for limited funding. Please read the following instructions before writing your review.

  • External reviewers must agree to abide by CIHR’s Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Policy through ResearchNet or by signing and faxing back a form sent to you by the Program Delivery Coordinator.
  • Conflicts of interest with applications and levels of reviewer expertise are declared on ResearchNet or by documents sent to you by the Program Delivery Coordinator.
  • If your peer review committee is conducting e-review, the applications will be made available to you on ResearchNet. Please check for conflicts of interest again once you have received your assigned application(s). Paper copies of applications will no longer be provided.
  • Applications must be treated as protected information. You must not divulge their contents to others, or use any information herein for any other purpose than peer review.
  • Ensure that all Peer Review Committee review materials you use are handled safely and disposed of according to the document “Guide on Handling Documents used in Peer Review”.
  • Be familiar with CIHR policies and procedures posted on ResearchNet and on the Internet.  It is also important to be familiar with the objectives of the funding opportunity (see Find Funding).

External Reviewer Report

  1. Purpose: to provide critical assessment of the application and constructive feedback to the applicant based on the objectives and evaluation criteria (see CIHR Peer Review Manual for Grant Applications, section 7) described in the funding opportunity but focusing on your specific expertise. Your report will be available to the internal reviewers before the committee meeting and will be presented and discussed at the committee meeting, as such, we do not require that you provide a score for the application.
  2. Please submit your review by the deadline provided. If you are unable to meet this deadline,  contact the Program Delivery Coordinator identified in the initial invitation.
  3. The review should be clear and concise (a maximum of three pages), providing objective and constructive feedback.
  4. The applicant will receive the review as you submit it. Do not include your rating or identify yourself in the text of your review.

  5. Although the track record of the applicant and the quality of the environment are also included in the final evaluation, peer review committees find external advice less essential in these cases. It is also not necessary to provide a summary of the proposal. The external reviewer report should focus specifically on the following three criteria:

    Research Approach

    • Clarity of the research question.
    • Completeness of the literature review and relevance to study design/research plan.
    • Clarity of rationale for the research approach and methodology.
    • Appropriateness of the research design.
    • Appropriateness of the research methods.
    • Feasibility of the research approach (including recruitment of subjects, project timeline, preliminary data where appropriate, etc.).
    • Anticipation of difficulties that may be encountered in the research and plans for management.

    Originality of the Proposal

    • Potential for the creation of new knowledge.
    • Originality of the proposed research, in terms of the hypotheses/research questions addressed, novel technology/methodology, and/or novel applications of current technology/methodology.

    Impact of the Research

    • Research proposal addresses a significant need or gap in health research and/or the health care system.
    • Potential for a significant contribution to the improvement of people’s health in Canada and the world and/or to the development of more effective health services and products.
    • Appropriateness and adequacy of the proposed plan for knowledge dissemination and exchange.

    Please refer to the Review Process and Evaluation section of the funding opportunity details in question, for a full description of the evaluation criteria.

  6. Please prepare your review in the word processing software of your choice and return to ResearchNet to submit your review electronically. Detailed instructions for submitting your review can be found on the ResearchNet site on the Submit External Reviews page entitled “Get to know the Submit External Reviews Task”.

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