Abstract
The 1989 review committee for the National Science Foundation Ocean Sciences Research Section (OSRS) assembled statistical comparisons of funding patterns for 5 fiscal years (FY 1984–FY 1988) and reviewed in detail 80 individual proposal files. The success rates of research proposals varied greatly among programs, with Chemical Oceanography at 48% Physical Oceanography at 46%, Marine Geology and Geophysics at 37%, and Biological Oceanography at 28%. The success rates of male and female Principal Investigators (PIs) were equal. The numbers of female PIs in ocean sciences are low but clearly growing. New PIs no more than 5 years from award of their Ph.D. had lower success rates than older PIs in Biological Oceanography but not in the other three programs. Review panels can be shown to have a strong influence on the ultimate fate of proposals in OSRS. In virtually all cases examined, this influence of the panel was appropriate and scientifically well justified. The funding decisions of NSF program managers in Ocean Sciences were understandable and well documented—the review committee would challenge only a small fraction of all decisions. The review process appears to be functioning well at all levels to identify and promote excellence in ocean sciences research.
Published Version
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