{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T12:03:35Z","timestamp":1790337815700,"version":"4.1.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]]},"group-title":"Scientific Communication and Education","reference-count":15,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790035200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Training in grant proposal writing is an essential component of professional development for academic scientists in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Despite the expansion of inter- and intra-institutional grant writing coaching groups as an approach to honing these skills, specific features that enhance or limit coaching group effectiveness have not been rigorously studied.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Qualitative interviews were conducted with a subset of early-career investigators (n=204 and coaches (n=36) engaged in a national, U.S. based, group-randomized trial of grant writing coaching groups to test the effects of two variables on submission and funding of national-level proposals: (1) coaching duration (regular\/extended dose) and (2) mode of engaging a scientific advisor (someone with content-aligned expertise) in the coaching process. This report focuses on interviews conducted upon completion of the regular coaching dose \u2013 5 months of biweekly, group-based coaching sessions to support active proposal writing. Interviews were designed to identify which coaching group elements were perceived to be the most critical. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using deductive (participants) or open (coaches) coding to identify themes.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Triangulation of results from participant and coach interviews showed strong concordance that coaches, peers, and scientific advisors all played key roles in supporting intervention efficacy. Sufficient alignment of scientific fields and\/or methodologies among group members was important, although breadth of perspectives was also valued. Other critical group features were skilled and well-organized coaches, detailed feedback, peer-to-peer support (technical and psychosocial), and clear expectations for group functioning. Factors attenuating impact included variation in participants\u2019 engagement and \u201creadiness to write,\u201d within-group mismatches of expertise or grant mechanisms, and limited research support at some participants\u2019 home institutions.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>This study identified key elements of successful grant writing coaching groups and potential barriers to their effectiveness, while yielding insights about tailoring this approach for individuals at different stages of proposal development.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.09.17.752282","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T19:05:16Z","timestamp":1790103916000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A Randomized Trial of Grant Writing Coaching Groups: Qualitative Interviews Revealing Key Elements of Intervention Efficacy"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Julia","family":"Mendes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty Affairs, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christine","family":"Wood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Remi","family":"Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty Affairs, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jeffrey","family":"Engler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Office of Research, Dean\u2019s Office, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2059-4681","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anne Marie","family":"Weber-Main","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Harlan","family":"Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, University of North Texas Health, Fort Worth, TX, USA; Institute for Health Disparities, University of North Texas Health, Fort Worth, TX, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-3462-2392","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melanie","family":"Steiner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kola","family":"Okuyemi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4470-5689","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Richard","family":"McGee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty Affairs, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0243973"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/cts.2025.10198"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/acamed\/wvaf031"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12919-017-0083-8"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12919-017-0084-7"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0241851"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-021-03093-w"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0334039"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.9","unstructured":"Okuyemi, KS , Marie Weber-Main, AM , Steiner, M , Engler, J , Jones, HP , Zhou, W , Monahan, PO , Langi, AK , McGee, R. Grant writing coaching groups: A randomized trial to discern the influences of coaching duration and engagement of scientific mentors on participants\u2019 proposal submission and success rates https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.64898\/2026.07.29.741400v1"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0234259"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1049732305276687"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/798843"},{"issue":"1","key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.62935\/hz7383","article-title":"Psychological safety: creating a transformative culture in a faculty group peer-mentoring intervention","volume":"8","year":"2024","journal-title":"The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jmbe.00065-25"},{"key":"2026092504450912000_2026.09.17.752282v1.15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/cts.2025.10080"}],"container-title":[],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.64898\/2026.09.17.752282","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T11:45:19Z","timestamp":1790336719000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/biorxiv.org\/lookup\/doi\/10.64898\/2026.09.17.752282"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]]},"references-count":15,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.64898\/2026.09.17.752282","relation":{},"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]]},"subtype":"preprint"}}