QUICK TAKE: Size Doesn't Matter**

Size doesn't matter. And it’s not a proxy for quality.

Your tax dollars at work...

No, not the size of "that," pervo; I’m talking about the size of a research #grant.

You know; the grant you just posted about. The million dollar one, where you never actually explain what the work is, why it matters, or, most importantly who it helps. Just the dollar amount and a headshot.

Let's set the record straight:

- Grants don’t equal clinical impact. Much-balleyhooed, "important" scientists are often people who were awarded a lot of grants but their work hasn't affected everyday practice (your tax dollars hard at work).

- Grants aren't a surrogate for scholarship. That's because grants don’t necessarily mean that rigorous science is being performed. 

- Plenty of forgettable projects are funded.

- Politics, bias, and scientific "fads" often affect a grant's review.

- Results of funded studies often end up in journals that no active clinician actually reads. So much for #knowledgetranslation.

When you see a posting about a "big" grant award, don't be afraid to ask, "What problem are they solving? For whom? and "How will we know it mattered?"

**Original post available on my LinkedIn account here