Demonstrating Gold Standard Science in your next grant proposal

by Stephanie F Etting
September 17, 2026

Quick Summary

The PDS team recommends that investigators applying to federal agencies begin including statements about how their proposed work aligns with Gold Standard Science (GSS) principles.
Demonstrate alignment by focusing on GSS tenets that are most relevant to your project and agency requirements.
We provide suggestions and examples of how to discuss alignment with the nine GSS tenets in your grant proposal.

In a 2025 executive order, the federal government announced expectations of Gold Standard Science (GSS) for all federally supported research. As federal agencies integrate GSS principles into the grants process, the PDS team recommends that investigators include clear statements in their proposals to any federal agency describing how their proposed work aligns with GSS.

Tenets of Gold Standard Science

Gold Standard Science refers to science conducted in a manner that is:

Reproducible
Transparent
Communicative of error and uncertainty
Collaborative and interdisciplinary
Skeptical of its findings and assumptions
Structured for falsifiability of hypotheses
Subject to unbiased peer review
Accepting negative results as positive outcomes
Without conflicts of interest

How to align your proposal with GSS

Some agencies and NOFOs have started to require designated sections of proposals where applicants should discuss how their methods and approach align with GSS principles. You should always follow the guidance provided by the sponsor to which you're applying, but if your funding call does not specify how or where to discuss alignment with GSS, then we suggest demonstrating alignment using one of the following:

Add a short, dedicated section titled “Rigor, Reproducibility, and Alignment with Gold Standard Science Practices" that discusses how your proposal aligns with the key GSS principles that are most relevant to your project.
Integrate statements throughout the proposal, where appropriate, that discuss how your project aligns with GSS tenets.

Demonstrate alignment with GSS in your proposal by focusing on the tenets that are most relevant to your project and agency requirements. Below are examples and explanations of how you can discuss GSS alignment in different areas of your proposal. We have additional GSS guidance available to UC Davis affiliates here.

1 & 2 - Reproducibility and Transparency

Replicability, a critical component of the scientific method, is made possible through research that is reproducible and transparent. Reproducible research will have clear and accurate protocols that can be independently tested by other studies. Transparency in methods, data handling, and dissemination of results help build trust across the scientific community and beyond. Reproducibility and Transparency can be demonstrated in your grant proposal through a robust Data Management and Sharing Plan and rigorous methodology section.

Ways to do this:

Clearly describe your research protocols and analyses for transparency on how your data will be collected and handled, allowing for reproducibility of research and results.
In your Data Management and Sharing Plan, address how you intend to share your data and findings through peer-reviewed publications and public databases.
If your funding agency requires you to report publications, technology transfer activities, retractions, etc., these can also be included in your Data Management and Sharing Plan.

3 - Communicative of error and uncertainty

Discussing potential problems and limitations of your project is important to helping program officers and reviewers gauge confidence in your research and findings. Communicating about the error and uncertainty in your proposed project can be integrated into the methodology and background sections of your proposal.

Ways to do this:

Explain the validity of your approach relative to previous work in your field, including the limitations of prior research in your area leading to your methodology of choice.
Discuss preliminary data or other successful uses of your methods that reduce perceived risk associated with your planned protocol.
Include possible sources of error and/or limitations of project's design, along with contingency plans for remediating issues if they arise.

4 - Collaborative and interdisciplinary

Complex scientific research benefits from the integration of a wide range of expertise, methodologies, and perspectives across disciplines. Discuss collaborative and interdisciplinary components of your project in your proposal, where appropriate, paying particular attention to the synergistic benefits that can accelerate discovery and innovation.

Ways to do this:

In your background section, describe how your project combines previous knowledge, theories, and/or methods from other fields.
Include information about partnerships with other agencies, institutions, and departments when discussing the resources and expertise supporting your project.
Discuss how your work can impact fields and organizations beyond your area of specialty.

5 - Skeptical of its findings and assumptions

Ensure the validity, robustness, and reliability of your work by being skeptical about your findings and assumptions. Employing research validation methods such as peer-review and replication studies strengthen the scientific process.

Ways to do this:

Involve biostatisticians in the development of your analysis methods and to help you conduct a power analysis.
Discuss external evaluation of your methods (if appropriate).
Address alternative hypotheses for the phenomena you're studying
Describe strategies for dissemination of your work that include peer-review.

6 - Structured for falsifiability of hypotheses

Strong research questions will closely align with your methods and proposed activities. To align with GSS, make sure that your hypotheses and objectives/aims are clearly articulated to indicate that there are reliable indicators of whether your work is supported or not - that is, they should be structured for falsifiability of hypotheses.

Ways to do this:

Formulate hypotheses that are precise and testable, and if possible, involve a null option.
Develop research objectives that include clear statements of actions that will be taken along with their expected outcomes.
Design your research using rigorous methodologies and measurable outcomes.

7 - Subject to unbiased peer review

This GSS tenet is not something that can be integrated into a grant proposal, but applicant should disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may arise during panel review.

8 - Accepting negative results as positive outcomes

Null experimental results can still advance knowledge. Alignment with this GSS tenet means being transparent about findings, whatever they may show, and accepting negative results as positive outcomes. Discussion of this approach may occur in the project description where you discuss outcomes and/or in your dissemination plan.

Ways to do this:

Describe how you intend to disclose results regardless of outcome.
Discuss the potential significance of null results along with affirmative findings.
Explain what a null result of your experiment may indicate about your hypothesis or alternative hypotheses.

9 - Without conflicts of interest

Performing research and reporting results without conflicts of interest (financial, personal, or institutional) is critical to the objectivity inherent in the scientific method. To improve the trust and credibility of your research, disclose all affiliations, funding sources, and relationships related to the project in the appropriate documents.

Ways to do this:

Disclose other projects, proposals, and in-kind contributions in your Current and Pending (Other) Support document.
Include positions at other institutions on your biosketch.
Explain how evaluations of your findings (whether done by you or another party) will be done so that they are objective and independent of bias.

Key takeaways

GSS principles map closely with those inherent to the scientific method. To demonstrate alignment with GSS, reflect on how different parts of your proposed project demonstrate these principles and include clear statements (either in a designated paragraph or throughout the proposal) explaining how your approach and project adhere to these standards. We have additional GSS guidance available to UC Davis affiliates here.