Find answers about how many letters of support you need, how they should be submitted, and who is eligible to write you a letter of support.
How many letters of support are required and who should supply the letters?
It depends on the elements of the application, but a minimum of two letters of support for every application.
- Minimum letters: two from colleagues who are knowledgeable about this research
- If proposal is for dissertation research: at least one research adviser/committee chair
NOTE: if research adviser is listed as a co-PI (see General FAQ section for PI definition), they CANNOT provide a letter of support to the application.
- If there are collaborating institutions: a letter from all collaborating institutions
- If there are consultants: a letter from all consultants must be included
What should the letters say?
The letters of support should address the merits of the proposal and how it contributes to nursing. The colleagues should be people who are knowledgeable about the work being done, but do not have to be at the same institution as the principal investigator.
How am I supposed to get the letters of support in by the deadline? Do I need to complete my application before the deadline for letters of support to be obtained?
Not necessarily, while both the application and letters are due by the same deadline. And all components of the application need to be entered into the system, before the system will send emails requesting letter of support from the people you are requesting letters from, you will have until the deadline to review/edit your application as needed.
If any of the people you are asking to write letters need to see the final completed application, then yes, the application would need to be finalized ahead of the deadline to allow them to submit their letters.
Otherwise, suggestion would be to input rough draft of application materials, so the letter request emails can be sent to give your letter writers plenty of notice for the request.
Please note it is your responsibility to make sure all letters have been submitted by the deadline, otherwise the application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.
What do I do if the person supplying the letter of support does not speak English or is located in another country and unable to access the online system?
It is preferred that the people supplying letters of support follow the online system process. Exceptions can be made if the person supplying the letter does not speak English, or if you are working with people/an institution in another country and they are unable to use the online system. In that case, a hard copy of the letter of support should be uploaded in the appendix section.
What is the process for submitting letters of support?
After you have finished entering the proposal, completed all of the steps listed in the left-hand control panel and clicked the final button in the online system, emails are automatically generated by the online system to the people listed in your proposal as supplying letters of support. It is recommended that you double check the email addresses listed in the system for the people supplying letters of support to assure they are correct. If the email addresses are incorrect, the people will not receive the message.
The email gives the person supplying the letter of support a separate website and their own unique ID number and password. The person is then able to upload or enter the letter of support into the site.
How can I see if the email has been sent to the person supplying a letter of support?
Emails are automatically generated by the system when you complete the submission. You can check to see if a person’s letter has been entered by logging in to your proposal and scrolling down on the right-hand side to the letters of support section. If the emails have not been sent, it will say, “Unsent” next to the person’s email address. If the emails have been sent, you will either see “No Response” or be able to access the letter of support entered.
What is the “resend” link in the letters of support section?
The resend link is available to provide you with the ability to resend the email to the person supplying a letter of support. Clicking this link will automatically generate another email to the person.
How can I see if the letter of support has been entered?
You can check to see if a person’s letter has been entered by logging in to your proposal and scrolling down on the right-hand side to the letters of support section. If the letter has been submitted, you will see the text of the letter or a link to view the letter. If the letter has not been submitted, you will see “No Response”.
What do I do if the link in the email does not work?
In the email received about supplying the letter of support, the web address may have been truncated. If this happens, it may be helpful to copy and paste the address into the browser window. If you are still unable to access the website, please contact Sigma Research Services.
Where can I submit my letter of support?
To submit your letter of support, please scroll down to the bottom of the page. When you log into the site, you will first see the proposal. Your name is listed under the “Letters of Support” section in the proposal. To submit your letter of support, scroll down to the very bottom of the proposal. Then, you will see a place to upload or enter the text of your letter.