How to submit your proposal via the webform

Applicants are requested to access the ProMS2.0 page to fill the webform for the application form and upload necessary files (e.g., PDF files of Scientific Justification). Please refer to 'ProMS2_guide.pdf' for the instruction.

We recommend that you read Call for Proposals carefully. Any questions related to proposal submission should be forwarded to cfp_consult_at_naoj.org.

1. Notes on each items in the Application Form (mainly for Normal/Intensive Program)

The subsections with (*) will be hidden from reviewers. For other subsections, please follows the Dual Anonymous (DA) writing style described in Section 3.

1-1. Title of Proposal
Provide a short title for your proposal.
1-2. Principal Investigator(*)
Provide contact details for the PI.
1-3. Scientific Category
Please select appropriate one out of following 21 categories: (1)Solar System, (2)Extrasolar Planets, (3)Star Formation and Young Disk, (4)ISM, (5)Stars and Brown Dwarfs, (6)Stellar Envelope and Activity, (7)Compact Objects and SNe, (8)Milky Way, (9)Galactic Archaeology, (10)Local Group, (11)Nearby Galaxies, (12)IGM and Abs. Line Systems, (13)Circumgalactic Medium, (14)Cosmology, (15)Gravitational Lenses, (16)Clusters and Proto-Clusters, (17)Environmental Effect on Galaxies, (18)High-z Galaxies(LAEs, LBGs), (19)High-z Galaxies(others), (20)AGN and QSO Activity, and (21)Miscellaneous. This is used to combine similar proposals into the same category group. Please note, however, that the category specified by an applicant may be changed in the reviewing process according to its contents. Each Normal/Intensive program proposal will be reviewed usually by 5 referees (anonymous) who are experts in the relevant category.
1-4. Abstract (except for Service Program)
Provide a clear and concise description of your proposed observations and their scientific importance in approximately 200 words. The abstract of all the accepted Subaru proposals will be open to the public after the time of the data release (i.e., when the proprietary period of 18 months has expired).
1-5. Co-Investigators(*)
List the first and last names and affiliations, and email addresses of co-investigators. Please obtain consents of all co-investigators for his/her being included in this list, since e-mail notification will be sent to them just after the deadline of application. All potential observers should be listed here. Please avoid using the name of a team or group. You can append the "CoI" field as many as you like (In case that the number of these co-investigators is large, the names of some members may not appear on the formatted cover page, however, our database certainly stores all the records of co-investigators listed on the webform). Please answer the question of 'How many students do you have among CoI?'. This is just for educational statistics and will not be used for the screening.
1-6. Thesis Work(*)
If the observations will form part of a graduate student's thesis project, please provide the student's name and thesis title.
1-7. Intensive Programs
If you are submitting an Intensive Program proposal, please select 'yes'. Intensive proposals using Keck instruments are not allowed. Those using Gemini instruments can be submitted only for B semesters (March deadline).
1-8. List of Applicant's Related Publications(*)
List publications (with full citation) related to the proposal.
1-9. Condition of Closely-Related Past and Scheduled Observations(*)
If your proposal is a continuation of (or inextricably related with) the previously accepted proposals, describe how the relevant past observations were carried out by giving the Open Use proposal ID, Title, Weather/Observational condition, Achievement rate [in %] for the planned outcome.
Additional remarks: (a) The proposals described here must be included also in the following "1-10 Post-Observational Status and Publications". (b) The reason why you request observational time in this semester (in spite of the past experience of Subaru observations on a similar/the same theme) has to be briefly described at the end of the "Scientific Justification" (e.g., bad weather/condition, telescope/instrument down time, expansion/improvement of the data, observing targets in different season).
1-10. Post-Observation Status and Publications(*)
Report the status or outcome of your main Subaru Observations carried out in the past. All observations relevant to this proposal (e.g., those enumerated in 1-9) must be included here. Similarly, all observations in the past 3 years with which the applicant was involved as PI must be reported. Give the date, the Open Use proposal ID (e.g., S01B-999), PI's name, status of data reduction/analysis, and related publications. For HSC queue mode programs with Grade A or B, specify (Grade, completion rate) [for example, (A,90%)] in the 4th status column. Queue programs of Grade C or Filler programs do not need to be reported unless they have been executed.
1-11. Team Expertise(*)
Please describe your team expertise to conduct the proposed science program.
1-12. Observing Run
List the instruments, the requested and minimum acceptable number of nights, preferred and acceptable dates (e.g., "Apr/01-May/31"), lunar phase (Bright, Gray or Dark), and Observing Modes. Dark time is defined as being within 3 nights of the New Moon, Bright time is within 3 nights of the Full Moon, and Gray time is the remaining part of the lunar cycle. Applicants who request Dark time for infrared observations should justify its necessity in their scientific justification.
Possible 2nd choice Instruments: If your science goal can (fully or partly) be achieved by the instruments (of Subaru/Keck/Gemini) other than your 1st choice instrument, you could describe such alternative instruments as 2nd choice instruments.
1-13. Scheduling Requirements
Any other special scheduling requirements should be clearly explained here, especially when you request bright/gray nights while there are still unacceptable dates affected by the Moon.
1-14. List of Targets
List all the targets intended for observations. Please use equinox J2000.0 unless otherwise specified in comments. If you have comments on targets, please indicate them in the field for comments.
1-15. Observing Method and Technical Details
Describe your proposed observations. Please explicitly state the instrument configuration (filters, slit width, readout mode) and justify the requested time by describing the details of your proposed observations, with reference to the instrument sensitivities provided on the web site. Please justify the minimum nights requirements. Please give sufficient information so that the feasibility of proposed observations can be confirmed, and so that support astronomers can prepare for observations. If you propose AO observations, please describe the nature of the targets (extended or point source) as well as the guide star properties (see the Planning Observations with Subaru AO188 for details).
1-16. Instrument Requirements
HSC applicants must explicitly describe the filters they intend to use, where the desired set as well as the minimum acceptable set should be clearly specified here. Other specific or unusual instrument requirements should be explained here.
1-17. Backup Proposal in Poor Conditions
Provide a short description of observations which will be carried out if conditions are not good enough for the main purpose (e.g., poor transparency). Please specify target names. Besides, please do not forget to give the data of targets also in "List of Backup Targets" section in the application form.
1-18. Public Subaru Telescope Data Archive
Check your targets in SMOKA database (Public Data Archive) before your submission. If your targets have already been observed by Subaru in the past, please describe why you need to observe them again.
1-19. Justify Duplications with the on-going SSP
For IRD applicants who request to observe the same fields or targets as observed with IRD SSP, please describe the differences between your program and the SSP of the same instrument.

2. Notes on Service Program Form

For Service Programs, 'Requirements of Observation' should be written in the plain text according to the specific instructions detailed in service program webpage. Then, upload the plain text file via the webform.

3. How to Prepare the Scientific Justification

*** Applicants should read the Dual Anonymous Guidelines before writing the Scientific Justification. ***

The PDF file of the Scientific Justification may in principle be freely prepared without any specific format; however, the following conditions should be fulfilled. Proposals violating any of these requirements may be disqualified without being reviewed.

language: Should be written in English.
header information: At the top of the first page, the title of the proposal should be clearly written (see also [note] on service program).
font size: Use font no smaller than 10 points (even in the figure caption or in the reference).
figures: Color figures can be included. However, proposals will be sent to referees electronically, and reproducibility of color figures may depend on the referees' environments.
margins: Keep sufficiently large margins (at least 15 mm) at each of the four sides, so that any missing could be avoided when printed out.
page limitation: including figures, tables and references.
(for A4 or letter size paper)
  • Normal Program --Maximum 2 pages
  • Intensive Program--Maximum 5 pages
  • Service Program--Maximum 1 page
file size: The file size should not exceed 4MB.
file name: The name of the file should end with ".pdf".
the DA writing style:
  • Avoid mentioning names and affiliations of PI/Co-Is.
  • Avoid claiming ownership of the applicant's past work.
  • Cite references (publications, data, and software) in a neutral third-party manner.
For more details please follow the Dual Anonymous Guidelines. More practical examples can be found in the DA Guidelines of ALMA.

[note](for Service Program applicants)
A brief abstract (e.g., a few lines) should be presented after the title of the proposal.


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updated on February 5, 2024