Step

Procedure

1) Review the JWST Proposal Workflow

The top level JWST Proposal Workflow provides a high-level overview of the proposal process, with links to relevant documentation and tools. The present table provides a more detailed checklist for the preparation of the proposal itself. For a more detailed step-by-step guide for planning your proposed JWST observations, refer instead to Getting Started with JWST Proposing. 

2) Install APT

Go to the APT webpage. Follow the instructions there to download and install the latest version of APT onto your machine. You can also ask your system administrator to do an institution-wide installation.

3) Fill out the APT forms

Use APT to fill out the required forms for your proposal type. Information on the use of APT, including movie tutorials, is available on the APT webpage. A description of which items are requested as well as guidelines for answers are presented in JWST Filling Out the APT Proposal Form. Proposers can save work in progress, so the APT submission can be completed over several sessions. If there is a discrepancy between the APT form and what is written in the "Technical Justification" of the PDF attachment, the APT form takes precedence. In other words, proposals are reviewed by the TAC reviewers based on the information in the APT form.

4) Download a template file for the creation of your PDF attachment

Download one of the templates to create your PDF attachment. Different template files are used for GO/Survey/AR proposals and for DD proposals. Template files are available in several popular word-processing applications, including LaTeX and Microsoft Word. Changes to the template formatting will result in disqualification of the proposal.

5) Edit the template text

Edit the template text using your favorite word-processing application. A description of which sections need to be included, and guidelines for how to discuss them, are presented in JWST Preparation of the PDF Attachment. Be sure your PDF attachment adheres to the page limit requirements for your proposal type, given above.

6) Anonymize the PDF attachment

Ensure that the entirety of your PDF attachment is sufficiently anonymized, in accordance with the JWST Anonymous Proposal Reviews guidelines. Violations of the anonymizing guidelines may be flagged for potential disqualification by STScI staff. See Dual Anonymous Proposals Guide for Reviewers - Cycle 4 for more information.

7) Create the PDF attachment.

Transform your edited template into a PDF file. Any figures in your proposal must be included in this PDF file. We will provide the reviewers with the electronic PDF files so that figures can be viewed in color. However, there is no guarantee that the reviewers will view the files electronically, so please make sure your figures are useful when printed using grey scales.

8) Add the PDF filename path to the APT form

At the bottom of the APT Proposal Information form, select the location of your PDF Attachment file on your local disk and upload it into APT.

9) Review your proposal

In APT, click on 'PDF Preview' to get a preview of all the final information in your proposal. What you will see is the fully synthesized proposal we keep on record at STScI. The reviewers will see essentially the same, without the list of investigators and without the "Team Expertise and Background" section (see JWST Proposal Selection Procedures). If you are not satisfied at this stage, make any necessary changes. Take care to check your submission carefully. You are responsible for ensuring that your PDF attachment does not include extraneous material (such as extra cover pages, team expertise statements, or backup material). Extraneous material that causes the proposal to exceed the page limits or to violate Dual Anonymous Peer Review will lead to disqualification of the proposal without review. APT supports UTF-8 for the title, abstract, observing description, and observation comments, but make sure all special characters appear correctly. 

10) Institutional Endorsement

STScI does not require institutional endorsement of proposals. However, some institutions do require such endorsement of all submitted proposals. It is the responsibility of each PI to follow all applicable institutional policies concerning the submission of proposals.

11) Submit your proposal 

In APT, use the Submission tool to submit your proposal to STScI. All parts are sent together (i.e., both the APT form information and the PDF attachment). Resubmissions are allowed up until the Proposal Deadline.

12) Receive an STScI acknowledgment of your submission

Verification of a successful submission will appear in the Submission Log on the Submission Screen in APT within about a minute. Also, the PI and all Co-Is will receive an automatic email acknowledgment that the merged PDF submission was received successfully. The same is true for any resubmissions.

After the Proposal Deadline has passed, and all submissions are in their final form, you will receive final notification that your submission has been successfully processed; this email will mark the completion of the submission. If you do not receive the final notification email within 5 business days of the deadline, please contact the JWST Help Desk and provide the submission ID from the APT Submission Log window. If there are any problems associated with your PDF attachment, you will be contacted by email.