Q&A: Selecting reviewers

How many Reviewers do I need to have?

No fewer than 3 for each proposal.  Beyond 8, the marginal differences from extra reviews are small – however, the comments may be useful.

Why should a Proponent do a Self Assessment?  These will always be unrealistic and will mislead the Reviewers.

Yes, Proponent Self Assessments do tend to be high – but the discipline of doing this is an essential part of getting the Proponent to write the words of the Justification.  Very few Reviewers will be mislead – in fact, grossly overstated self assessment tend to highlight to the reviewer that they should spend a little extra care in their assessments.

Does everyone who reviews a proposal have to be an “expert” in the area?

A well designed evaluation process and criteria should enable a “reasonable” person (not necessarily an expert) to read what the proponent writes and make an assessment.  Experts are valuable in giving opinions either via comments in their assessments or during committee discussion.