I'd really like to meet the person at NIH who measures type size and lines of
text per inch.

We, too, have had a few proposals rejected for procedural things.  NSF once
rejected a proposal because the PI listed 11 publications instead of the
mandatory 10 on his biographical sketch.  Now we not only review budgets and
compliance issues and certifications, but we count lines of text and numbers of
publications as well.  I'm sure we'll have new things to count next year, too.

I am forever telling faculty -- in workshops, flyers, newsletters, personally
-- to do three things in order to improve their chances for success:
 1.  Get the guidelines.
 2.  Read the guidelines.
 3.  Follow the guidelines.
I'm sure they wonder about my job as much as I wonder about the person at NIH
with the type size ruler.

-Marcia Zuzolo
Indiana University