Unless otherwise specified in the fellowships descriptions, applications consist of five elements:
1. The Cover Sheet asks for basic personal and professional information. Scholars applying for both long- and short-term fellowships must submit their application with both the long-term and the short-term coversheets.
2. A Project Abstract of no more than 300 words.
3. A Project Description of no more than 1500 words. The project description is the most important part of the application. Please describe your project, explain its significance, describe the Newberry materials to be consulted while you are in residence, and outline your plan of work. Short-term applicants should take special care to be as specific as possible about Newberry materials to be consulted during the proposed fellowship period (except for École des Chartes Fellowship applicants). When appropriate, applicants should also make specific reference to previous published scholarship that will be revised or supplanted by the proposed project.
4. A current Curriculum Vitae. Avoid submitting a bulky and difficult-to-read document. Please use the following commonly-accepted terms to describe forthcoming publications:
- "in progress" (not yet completed or submitted)
- "submitted" (currently under review at a journal or press)
- "accepted" (publisher committed to publication; currently under revision)
- "in press" (in the hands of copyeditor, typesetter, or printer)
List manuscript pages or word counts for forthcoming publications.
5. Three Letters of Reference. Letters should speak to the proposed project as well as to the talents and qualifications of the applicant. Please send your referees a copy of your project description and remind them of the application deadline. Letters that speak specifically to the project the applicant proposes to carry out at the Newberry are more effective than general letters from a dossier . We prefer that letters be submitted electronically. Our FAX machine is not in a confidential location. See below for specific instructions.
École des Chartes Fellowship applicants must submit a fourth letter from their university certifying French language fluency. Lipking-Newberry Fellowship applicants need to submit only one letter of reference.
Applicants should compile their applications electronically and submit them as email attachments. Please note that the Newberry email server cannot accept attachments larger than 10 MB. Note also that our fax machine is in a relatively open area and therefore not a preferred option for reference letters. If this presents a problem for you, please call the Office of Research and Education at (312) 255-3666 to make other arrangements.
1. Download the appropriate cover sheet (see below). Fill in the shaded form fields using a word processing application.
2. Attach the following documents to an e-mail using these corresponding file names:
| (a). Cover Sheet | (b). Project Abstract | (c). Projet Description |
(d). CV |
The Project Abstract, Description, and CV may be submitted as Word attachments. PDFs are preferred but not required.
3. Send your e-mail to research@newberry.org.
Subject line: "Applicant Last Name Newberry Fellowship Application"
4. Contact your referees regarding letters of reference. We prefer that your referees send their letters electronically as attachments to research@newberry.org. Referees sending electronic letters need not send hard copies.
Subject line: "Applicant Last Name Newberry Reference"
In cases where referees are not able to send electronic copies, paper copies will be accepted. If your referees are sending paper copies, make sure they know all deadlines are post-mark deadlines. Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we cannot promise to notify applicants or referees about missing letters. Applicants are responsible for making sure that their referees submit their letters on time and should contact research@newberry.org to confirm receipt.
5. We will acknowledge receipt of all applications via e-mail. If you do not hear from us within two weeks of sending your application, please contact us at research@newberry.org or (312) 255-3666. Applications must be postmarked by the deadlines listed.
Application forms for 2011-2012 Fellowships are available online as Microsoft Word documents. Please let us know if you have any trouble downloading them in this format.
The cover sheets may be filled out on your computer. Once you open a form, position the cursor over a fill-in area or element. A black box will appear. Enter the appropriate data in each box or field. Please use clear abbreviations in order to ensure that all important information is visible.