The Southern Chapter of the Medical Library Association provides grant support for research projects in order to promote and stimulate excellence in the field of health science librarianship and the information sciences. Grants may be used to support all or part of the costs of a study, up to a maximum of $1000. SC/MLA may award more than one grant in a year for a maximum of $1000 in any one year. The application may be found at http://www.scmla.org/resapp.htm.

Eligibility

1. Preference is given to applicants who are practicing health sciences librarians with at least two years of professional experience.
2. The applicant must be a current member of SC/MLA.

1. The scope and nature of the proposed project should give evidence of an established methodology and a viable research design.
2. The proposal should contain title, goals, objectives, methodology, significance, and budget of project; vital and special qualifications of the researcher; evidence of knowledge of the state of the art and existing published literature on the proposed research topic; and a description of the proposed means of disseminating the results.
3. The following criteria will be used to evaluate applications:
   • Regarding the Proposed Project: originality, importance to the profession, soundness of experimental design and detail, and feasibility of scope.
   • Regarding the Applicant: education and training, experience, research competence, research potential, and previous productivity. The name of at least one professional reference must be provided from a person capable of providing an evaluation of the applicant's knowledge of the topic and an assessment of the applicant's research skills.
4. Grants will not be given to support an activity that is operational in nature or has only local usefulness.
5. The award will be disbursed in two portions. The first half will be awarded at the chapter's annual fall meeting. The second half will be awarded February 1 of the following year, upon receipt of a first-quarter report, submitted to the chair of the Research Committee.
6. A report to the Research Committee will be required at the conclusion of the first quarter, on or before February 1 of the year following the award's presentation. This report should document completed project activities, list expenses to date, and provide a list of activities planned for the next two quarters. A final report to the Research Committee is due by October 1 documenting the year's work on the funded project. The report should include a complete financial accounting as well as interim - or final - project results.
7. At the conclusion of the project, a summary report must be submitted for publication to Southern Expressions, the newsletter of SC/MLA. Recognition of the Southern Chapter's support must be given in any publications originating from this project.
8. Applications will be acknowledged upon receipt.
9. Depending on the review of the received applications, the Committee may recommend that awards not be presented in a given year.

Criteria originally published in Southern Expressions Winter, 1992; 8(1).
Revised June 2003.