A Method for Teaching Biostatisticians to Write and Critique Specific Aims

This article describes the design of a single instructional module on writing and critiquing the Specific Aims (SA) section of a grant proposal for a biomedical research study. It begins by discussing the goals and learning objectives for the module. Then, it discusses the typical structure of a SA section to orient readers to the core content. This method is rooted in using an established framework for scientific writing, which is presented in brief, along with examples of how it applies to writing the SA section. Then, the structure of the instructional module is described, including the exercises for participants. Finally, the utility of this approach for teaching an otherwise difficult-to-teach competency is discussed, as well as how this approach might be extended to similar pedagogic tasks.