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Common-Errors-in-Preliminary-Data-Section-of-a-Grant-Application

Common Errors in Preliminary Data Section of a Grant Application & How to Correct Them

Every research applicant wants to be in the lead while competing for a grant. The larger grants, like R01, particularly require the preliminary data to stay in the competition. The grant proposals without preliminary research do not stand a chance except for those applying for smaller grants (R03). Acquiring accurate preliminary research information is what every research writer should strive for. Regrettably, several grant proposals are rejected every year based on the flaws observed in the preliminary data section. Many applicants are asked for revision and resubmission due to the errors pointed out by the panel reviewers. This article will guide you on how to deal with these errors.

 
Purpose of Preliminary Results

Before constructing the preliminary data section, one must know the reason to construct this section. This section is important for the reviewers because:

  • It makes them familiar with the research ideas and techniques that you are proposing
  • It shows how you will be able to attain your aims and outcomes
  • It helps them estimate the time frame of your proposed research and clarifies that your research objectives are well within your grasp
  • It gives the verification of sample collection methods
  • It exhibits your ability to carry out the proposed research idea in the minds of reviewers
  • It proves the accuracy, authenticity, and utility of your research in front of the panel reviewers

 

Common Mistakes Found in the Preliminary Data Section

This section is scrutinized by a panel of peer reviewers, and the potential flaws are noted. These errors are highlighted in the form of ‘criticism notes’ that are written in response to your proposal. Many writers commit mistakes that are very commonly found among the declined applications. You can easily avoid these errors if you are guided enough. So, the following sub-headings will point out the most popular mistakes in this section:

 

Providing All the Information

It is great to provide your preliminary research data, but overloading your application is not a wise approach. Sadly, the research writers state every detail regarding the preliminary research. They do not leave suspense for the reviewers regarding the progression of their research. The reviewers learn every detail from the start, and there is nothing new left for them to look forward to in the coming sections of the applications. Information regarding all the other sections is elaborated on it. This bores the reviewers, and they see no innovative thrillers in your research idea. Hence, they decline your proposal due to the lack of interesting spoilers that they often seek.

How to Rewrite?

Excessive elaboration makes your application dull for the grant reviewers. To correct this flaw, you have to follow these protocols:

  • Write down the main points that need elaboration on a notepad.
  • Elaborate each point in a single line with minimal words.
  • Focus on that part of the preliminary that shows the feasibility of your research concept. (Steven, 2012)
  • The selected vocabulary should be simple to comprehend.
  • Remove all the duplicated statements by choosing the one that best elaborates your point.
  • Avoid elaboration of the outcomes of your research and leave it as a spoiler for the aims section.
  • The experiments and the used study techniques should just be mentioned as a trailer without elaboration.
Quoting Data from Literature

The data obtained from outside sources are prohibited in the preliminary data section. Heaps of the grant proposals are criticized by the reviewers due to the inclusion of information quoted from the literature databases to support their preliminary research. The interference from the foreign sources supporting research hypotheses lowers the value of your application instead of increasing it. Such type of information is only beneficial in the other sections. Usually, this point is neglected by the writers, and both inside and outside sources of information are mingled together, resulting in confusion and grant rejection.

How to Rewrite?

The preliminary data section is solely dedicated to the data obtained wholly from your preliminary research. Here you have to state that your research laboratory is big enough to obtain an enormous amount of preliminary data (Ronald, 2012). The ground rules for correcting this error are:

  • Only the directly extracted data from your preliminary research should be scripted in the preliminary research data section.
  • Show the data that is obtained from the research experimentations carried out by your research laboratory.
  • The data from your collaborators and mentors are specially required in the training grants which belong to the F and K series of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 
Perplexing Charts, Figures & Tables

As a grant writer, you can demonstrate your research data with the help of diagrams, tables, charts, and figures. However, the represented data should be easy to read and comprehend. In many grant applications, the information scripted in this section in the form of pictorial representations is either complex or difficult to read. This greatly disappoints the reviewers and forces them to ask the writers for resubmission after clarifying the complicated data shown through complex diagrams.

How to Rewrite?

Simplicity and clarity are the key features to representing an idea. Thus, to rectify this flaw, you have to keep these points in your mind while giving a diagrammatical representation of your data derived from your preliminary research:

  • Use simple and clear pictorial representations for your research data.
  • Avoid the diagrammatical illustrations having multiple points explained in it.
  • Divide the complicated figures into separate illustrations for easy comprehension.
  • The size of the diagram should neither be too small for the readers nor too big to cover the entire descriptive space of this section.

 

Irrelevant Information Provision

This error is found in the majority of the sections of the declined grant applicants. The level of irrelevant data is at its peak in the preliminary data section of several applications. This has introduced the term called ‘fishing expedition’ by the reviewers in the criticism notes. Fishing expedition means searching for relevant knowledge in the sea of information provided by grant writers. The provision of irrelevant data in this section tires the panel reviewers and compels them to reject the research application.

How to Rewrite?

To avoid this error, the writers should act as per these steps:

  • Gather all the information regarding your preliminary research on a notepad.
  • Categorize this data by evaluating which information directly concerns with your research aims, hypothesis, and outcomes.
  • Mention the directly related information in this section and set aside the remaining data for the research methodology section of your application.

 

Poor Flow between the Statements

Every section of your research should be scripted like a story for the reviewers with one event leading to another. The preliminary data section is no different. Now and then, we hear the criticism regarding the ambiguity and lack of correlation between statements in this section. When the statements are incoherent, it is difficult for the peer-reviewers to comprehend the meaning of the data derived from your preliminary research. This badly portrays your writing skills and harms your level of competency in the field of research, as well.

How to Rewrite?

This kind of error should be corrected by adhering to the following guidelines:

  • The script of your preliminary data section should mimic the rules of story writing.
  • Ensure that the present statement is coherent with the previous statement with the introduction of a new interesting event.
  • Each subsection of the preliminary research should be scripted as if the information of one subsection is generating further related information in the next subsection.

 

Missing Out the Supporting Data

The supporting information of your preliminary research section is related to the innovative designs, plans, and techniques that you will be explaining to prove the utility of your research idea. Various applications are deficient in the supportive data regarding their research idea every year. The writers do not either know the importance of introducing novel techniques through preliminary research or have enough dexterity to demonstrate the potential of newness in their proposed research idea. Hence, a lack of this type of supporting data urges the reviewers to reject the grant applications.

How to Rewrite?

This flaw can be removed from your application by keeping certain rules in your mind. These significant principles include:

  • The information you provide in the preliminary research section should be self-supportive.
  • Mention the innovative procedures that are used in your preliminary project as it is the key component. (Victoria, 2012)
  • Tell the reviewers about the novel data collected via your preliminary research and how it supports your research aims and hypothesis.
  • Show them through your preliminary research how your laboratory equipment and the environment are all warmed up for your proposed research.

 

Biased Analysis of the Preliminary Data

The preliminary research data should not be biased. All researchers are prone to imperfections and have their shortcomings. Applications with one-sided data favoring their research aims and outcomes are said to be artificial. These writers ignore the limitations of their preliminary research and only script those points that back their research idea. The level of objectivity is zero in such applications, which is very unrealistic. This makes the reviewers suspicious of the research idea that you are suggesting. Therefore, you are asked for a resubmission after adding the limitations of the preliminary research that you conducted.

How to Rewrite?

One-sided text can be altered according to the reviewers by following these instructions:

  • Write all the potential deficiencies in your preliminary research data.
  • Any missing data should also be mentioned after consultation with your statistician.
  • Then enumerate all the features that make your research a favorable one.
  • Now bend the research in your favor by finally justifying the enumerated features that back your research designs, equipment, and as well as your results.

 

Closure

The portion regarding the preliminary research data acts as the backbone of your grant proposal. It is a solid piece of evidence for the applicability and reliability of your proposed research concept. No research is perfect, but it should be good despite the limitations and objectivity that it offers. This perfection can only be attained by avoiding potential errors that can arise while loading your application with the preliminary data. This article can guide you even when you are asked for a resubmission after revising your errors. All the important guidelines for editing your errors in this section are exclusively provided here. You can easily benefit from them whenever needed.

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Introduction

In behavioral neuroscience, the Open Field Test (OFT) remains one of the most widely used assays to evaluate rodent models of affect, cognition, and motivation. It provides a non-invasive framework for examining how animals respond to novelty, stress, and pharmacological or environmental manipulations. Among the test’s core metrics, the percentage of time spent in the center zone offers a uniquely normalized and sensitive measure of an animal’s emotional reactivity and willingness to engage with a potentially risky environment.

This metric is calculated as the proportion of time spent in the central area of the arena—typically the inner 25%—relative to the entire session duration. By normalizing this value, researchers gain a behaviorally informative variable that is resilient to fluctuations in session length or overall movement levels. This makes it especially valuable in comparative analyses, longitudinal monitoring, and cross-model validation.

Unlike raw center duration, which can be affected by trial design inconsistencies, the percentage-based measure enables clearer comparisons across animals, treatments, and conditions. It plays a key role in identifying trait anxiety, avoidance behavior, risk-taking tendencies, and environmental adaptation, making it indispensable in both basic and translational research contexts.

Whereas simple center duration provides absolute time, the percentage-based metric introduces greater interpretability and reproducibility, especially when comparing different animal models, treatment conditions, or experimental setups. It is particularly effective for quantifying avoidance behaviors, risk assessment strategies, and trait anxiety profiles in both acute and longitudinal designs.

What Does Percentage of Time in the Centre Measure?

This metric reflects the relative amount of time an animal chooses to spend in the open, exposed portion of the arena—typically defined as the inner 25% of a square or circular enclosure. Because rodents innately prefer the periphery (thigmotaxis), time in the center is inversely associated with anxiety-like behavior. As such, this percentage is considered a sensitive, normalized index of:

  • Exploratory drive vs. risk aversion: High center time reflects an animal’s willingness to engage with uncertain or exposed environments, often indicative of lower anxiety and a stronger intrinsic drive to explore. These animals are more likely to exhibit flexible, information-gathering behaviors. On the other hand, animals that spend little time in the center display a strong bias toward the safety of the perimeter, indicative of a defensive behavioral state or trait-level risk aversion. This dichotomy helps distinguish adaptive exploration from fear-driven avoidance.

  • Emotional reactivity: Fluctuations in center time percentage serve as a sensitive behavioral proxy for changes in emotional state. In stress-prone or trauma-exposed animals, decreased center engagement may reflect hypervigilance or fear generalization, while a sudden increase might indicate emotional blunting or impaired threat appraisal. The metric is also responsive to acute stressors, environmental perturbations, or pharmacological interventions that impact affective regulation.

  • Behavioral confidence and adaptation: Repeated exposure to the same environment typically leads to reduced novelty-induced anxiety and increased behavioral flexibility. A rising trend in center time percentage across trials suggests successful habituation, reduced threat perception, and greater confidence in navigating open spaces. Conversely, a stable or declining trend may indicate behavioral rigidity or chronic stress effects.

  • Pharmacological or genetic modulation: The percentage of time in the center is widely used to evaluate the effects of pharmacological treatments and genetic modifications that influence anxiety-related circuits. Anxiolytic agents—including benzodiazepines, SSRIs, and cannabinoid agonists—reliably increase center occupancy, providing a robust behavioral endpoint in preclinical drug trials. Similarly, genetic models targeting serotonin receptors, GABAergic tone, or HPA axis function often show distinct patterns of center preference, offering translational insights into psychiatric vulnerability and resilience.

Critically, because this metric is normalized by session duration, it accommodates variability in activity levels or testing conditions. This makes it especially suitable for comparing across individuals, treatment groups, or timepoints in longitudinal studies.

A high percentage of center time indicates reduced anxiety, increased novelty-seeking, or pharmacological modulation (e.g., anxiolysis). Conversely, a low percentage suggests emotional inhibition, behavioral avoidance, or contextual hypervigilance. reduced anxiety, increased novelty-seeking, or pharmacological modulation (e.g., anxiolysis). Conversely, a low percentage suggests emotional inhibition, behavioral avoidance, or contextual hypervigilance.

Behavioral Significance and Neuroscientific Context

1. Emotional State and Trait Anxiety

The percentage of center time is one of the most direct, unconditioned readouts of anxiety-like behavior in rodents. It is frequently reduced in models of PTSD, chronic stress, or early-life adversity, where animals exhibit persistent avoidance of the center due to heightened emotional reactivity. This metric can also distinguish between acute anxiety responses and enduring trait anxiety, especially in longitudinal or developmental studies. Its normalized nature makes it ideal for comparing across cohorts with variable locomotor profiles, helping researchers detect true affective changes rather than activity-based confounds.

2. Exploration Strategies and Cognitive Engagement

Rodents that spend more time in the center zone typically exhibit broader and more flexible exploration strategies. This behavior reflects not only reduced anxiety but also cognitive engagement and environmental curiosity. High center percentage is associated with robust spatial learning, attentional scanning, and memory encoding functions, supported by coordinated activation in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and basal forebrain. In contrast, reduced center engagement may signal spatial rigidity, attentional narrowing, or cognitive withdrawal, particularly in models of neurodegeneration or aging.

3. Pharmacological Responsiveness

The open field test remains one of the most widely accepted platforms for testing anxiolytic and psychotropic drugs. The percentage of center time reliably increases following administration of anxiolytic agents such as benzodiazepines, SSRIs, and GABA-A receptor agonists. This metric serves as a sensitive and reproducible endpoint in preclinical dose-finding studies, mechanistic pharmacology, and compound screening pipelines. It also aids in differentiating true anxiolytic effects from sedation or motor suppression by integrating with other behavioral parameters like distance traveled and entry count (Prut & Belzung, 2003).

4. Sex Differences and Hormonal Modulation

Sex-based differences in emotional regulation often manifest in open field behavior, with female rodents generally exhibiting higher variability in center zone metrics due to hormonal cycling. For example, estrogen has been shown to facilitate exploratory behavior and increase center occupancy, while progesterone and stress-induced corticosterone often reduce it. Studies involving gonadectomy, hormone replacement, or sex-specific genetic knockouts use this metric to quantify the impact of endocrine factors on anxiety and exploratory behavior. As such, it remains a vital tool for dissecting sex-dependent neurobehavioral dynamics.
The percentage of center time is one of the most direct, unconditioned readouts of anxiety-like behavior in rodents. It is frequently reduced in models of PTSD, chronic stress, or early-life adversity. Because it is normalized, this metric is especially helpful for distinguishing between genuine avoidance and low general activity.

Methodological Considerations

  • Zone Definition: Accurately defining the center zone is critical for reliable and reproducible data. In most open field arenas, the center zone constitutes approximately 25% of the total area, centrally located and evenly distanced from the walls. Software-based segmentation tools enhance precision and ensure consistency across trials and experiments. Deviations in zone parameters—whether due to arena geometry or tracking inconsistencies—can result in skewed data, especially when calculating percentages.

     

  • Trial Duration: Trials typically last between 5 to 10 minutes. The percentage of time in the center must be normalized to total trial duration to maintain comparability across animals and experimental groups. Longer trials may lead to fatigue, boredom, or habituation effects that artificially reduce exploratory behavior, while overly short trials may not capture full behavioral repertoires or response to novel stimuli.

     

  • Handling and Habituation: Variability in pre-test handling can introduce confounds, particularly through stress-induced hypoactivity or hyperactivity. Standardized handling routines—including gentle, consistent human interaction in the days leading up to testing—reduce variability. Habituation to the testing room and apparatus prior to data collection helps animals engage in more representative exploratory behavior, minimizing novelty-induced freezing or erratic movement.

     

  • Tracking Accuracy: High-resolution tracking systems should be validated for accurate, real-time detection of full-body center entries and sustained occupancy. The system should distinguish between full zone occupancy and transient overlaps or partial body entries that do not reflect true exploratory behavior. Poor tracking fidelity or lag can produce significant measurement error in percentage calculations.

     

  • Environmental Control: Uniformity in environmental conditions is essential. Lighting should be evenly diffused to avoid shadow bias, and noise should be minimized to prevent stress-induced variability. The arena must be cleaned between trials using odor-neutral solutions to eliminate scent trails or pheromone cues that may affect zone preference. Any variation in these conditions can introduce systematic bias in center zone behavior. Use consistent definitions of the center zone (commonly 25% of total area) to allow valid comparisons. Software-based segmentation enhances spatial precision.

Interpretation with Complementary Metrics

Temporal Dynamics of Center Occupancy

Evaluating how center time evolves across the duration of a session—divided into early, middle, and late thirds—provides insight into behavioral transitions and adaptive responses. Animals may begin by avoiding the center, only to gradually increase center time as they habituate to the environment. Conversely, persistently low center time across the session can signal prolonged anxiety, fear generalization, or a trait-like avoidance phenotype.

Cross-Paradigm Correlation

To validate the significance of center time percentage, it should be examined alongside results from other anxiety-related tests such as the Elevated Plus Maze, Light-Dark Box, or Novelty Suppressed Feeding. Concordance across paradigms supports the reliability of center time as a trait marker, while discordance may indicate task-specific reactivity or behavioral dissociation.

Behavioral Microstructure Analysis

When paired with high-resolution scoring of behavioral events such as rearing, grooming, defecation, or immobility, center time offers a richer view of the animal’s internal state. For example, an animal that spends substantial time in the center while grooming may be coping with mild stress, while another that remains immobile in the periphery may be experiencing more severe anxiety. Microstructure analysis aids in decoding the complexity behind spatial behavior.

Inter-individual Variability and Subgroup Classification

Animals naturally vary in their exploratory style. By analyzing percentage of center time across subjects, researchers can identify behavioral subgroups—such as consistently bold individuals who frequently explore the center versus cautious animals that remain along the periphery. These classifications can be used to examine predictors of drug response, resilience to stress, or vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders.

Machine Learning-Based Behavioral Clustering

In studies with large cohorts or multiple behavioral variables, machine learning techniques such as hierarchical clustering or principal component analysis can incorporate center time percentage to discover novel phenotypic groupings. These data-driven approaches help uncover latent dimensions of behavior that may not be visible through univariate analyses alone.

Total Distance Traveled

Total locomotion helps contextualize center time. Low percentage values in animals with minimal movement may reflect sedation or fatigue, while similar values in high-mobility subjects suggest deliberate avoidance. This metric helps distinguish emotional versus motor causes of low center engagement.

Number of Center Entries

This measure indicates how often the animal initiates exploration of the center zone. When combined with percentage of time, it differentiates between frequent but brief visits (indicative of anxiety or impulsivity) versus fewer but sustained center engagements (suggesting comfort and behavioral confidence).

Latency to First Center Entry

The delay before the first center entry reflects initial threat appraisal. Longer latencies may be associated with heightened fear or low motivation, while shorter latencies are typically linked to exploratory drive or low anxiety.

Thigmotaxis Time

Time spent hugging the walls offers a spatial counterbalance to center metrics. High thigmotaxis and low center time jointly support an interpretation of strong avoidance behavior. This inverse relationship helps triangulate affective and motivational states.

Applications in Translational Research

  • Drug Discovery: The percentage of center time is a key behavioral endpoint in the development and screening of anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications. Its sensitivity to pharmacological modulation makes it particularly valuable in dose-response assessments and in distinguishing therapeutic effects from sedative or locomotor confounds. Repeated trials can also help assess drug tolerance and chronic efficacy over time.
  • Genetic and Neurodevelopmental Modeling: In transgenic and knockout models, altered center percentage provides a behavioral signature of neurodevelopmental abnormalities. This is particularly relevant in the study of autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, fragile X syndrome, and schizophrenia, where subjects often exhibit heightened anxiety, reduced flexibility, or altered environmental engagement.
  • Hormonal and Sex-Based Research: The metric is highly responsive to hormonal fluctuations, including estrous cycle phases, gonadectomy, and hormone replacement therapies. It supports investigations into sex differences in stress reactivity and the behavioral consequences of endocrine disorders or interventions.
  • Environmental Enrichment and Deprivation: Housing conditions significantly influence anxiety-like behavior and exploratory motivation. Animals raised in enriched environments typically show increased center time, indicative of reduced stress and greater behavioral plasticity. Conversely, socially isolated or stimulus-deprived animals often show strong center avoidance.
  • Behavioral Biomarker Development: As a robust and reproducible readout, center time percentage can serve as a behavioral biomarker in longitudinal and interventional studies. It is increasingly used to identify early signs of affective dysregulation or to track the efficacy of neuromodulatory treatments such as optogenetics, chemogenetics, or deep brain stimulation.
  • Personalized Preclinical Models: This measure supports behavioral stratification, allowing researchers to identify high-anxiety or low-anxiety phenotypes before treatment. This enables within-group comparisons and enhances statistical power by accounting for pre-existing behavioral variation. Used to screen anxiolytic agents and distinguish between compounds with sedative vs. anxiolytic profiles.

Enhancing Research Outcomes with Percentage-Based Analysis

By expressing center zone activity as a proportion of total trial time, researchers gain a metric that is resistant to session variability and more readily comparable across time, treatment, and model conditions. This normalized measure enhances reproducibility and statistical power, particularly in multi-cohort or cross-laboratory designs.

For experimental designs aimed at assessing anxiety, exploratory strategy, or affective state, the percentage of time spent in the center offers one of the most robust and interpretable measures available in the Open Field Test.

Explore high-resolution tracking solutions and open field platforms at

References

  • Prut, L., & Belzung, C. (2003). The open field as a paradigm to measure the effects of drugs on anxiety-like behaviors: a review. European Journal of Pharmacology, 463(1–3), 3–33.
  • Seibenhener, M. L., & Wooten, M. C. (2015). Use of the open field maze to measure locomotor and anxiety-like behavior in mice. Journal of Visualized Experiments, (96), e52434.
  • Crawley, J. N. (2007). What’s Wrong With My Mouse? Behavioral Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice. Wiley-Liss.
  • Carola, V., D’Olimpio, F., Brunamonti, E., Mangia, F., & Renzi, P. (2002). Evaluation of the elevated plus-maze and open-field tests for the assessment of anxiety-related behavior in inbred mice. Behavioral Brain Research, 134(1–2), 49–57.

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