External (No Discussion) Panelists - Cycle 5

Dated material

You are viewing content from a previous JWST Call for Proposals (CfP). For information pertaining to the current observing cycle and future CfPs, please see JWST Opportunities and Policies.

Proposals reviewed by the External panels are subject to a one-stage review process.

External panelists will read and grade and provide feedback comments for all proposals that they are assigned. 

Prep Work & General InfoGrading & Comments
Before November 12, 2025November 12, 2025 - January 9, 2026
Before getting started, familiarize yourself with the review process, JWST and its instruments, the types of proposals you will be reviewing, and who to ask for help!

During this phase, you will:

  • Check for and report additional conflicts of interest with your assigned proposals.
  • Read your assigned proposals (a subset of the proposals assigned to your panel).
  • Enter numerical scores as grades for each proposal you are assigned.
  • Write brief proposal feedback comments (strengths and weaknesses) for each proposal you are assigned. Reviewers are forbidden from uploading proposal content or review materials to Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools since this violates the confidentiality of the review process.
  • STScI will use the grades received by each reviewer assigned to each proposal to rank the proposals in the panel. The top proposals likely to be recommended for acceptance are provided to the panel Chairs of the face-to-face Discussion panels of that same Scientific Category prior to the meeting to identify potential duplications and monitor programmatic balance. 
  • Report to the Science Policy Division, and as soon as possible, any proposal that you think should be disqualified for violating proposal guidelines (e.g. DAPR, page limits, font size, etc.).   

Please remember to remove review materials from your computer after the review.

Learn more about:

Learn more about:

Useful topics from previous phases:

Important Dates and Deadlines:

  • Wednesday, October 15, 2025: JWST proposal submission deadline
  • Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 12pm-2pm ET: External Panelist Orientation

Important Dates and Deadlines:

  • Wednesday, November 12, 2025: SPD to release proposals and assignments
  • Wednesday, November 19, 2025: Deadline to check for and report additional conflicts of interest
  • Friday, January 9, 2026: Deadline for grades and comments


Next: Panel Support Scientists - Cycle 5


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