Replacing a Previously Submitted Reference Letter for an LRP Applicant

IMPORTANT: Do not use the "Submit a Reference Letter" link on the main eRA Commons home page; instead use the link provided in the email you received from the Loan Repayment Program (LRP) or from the applicant, which is also shown below.

For Mentors/Referees who are replacing a previously submitted reference letter for an LRP Applicant

If you already submitted a reference letter for an applicant of the NIH Loan Repayment Program in the current application cycle, but you now want to overwrite and replace the submitted letter with a new one, follow the instructions in this topic. You can also use this procedure to view the submitted letter.

What Do I Need to Submit a Reference Letter and Where Do I Find It?

Regardless of whether you are a mentor or referee, you need the following to submit a reference letter on behalf of an LRP applicant:

A reference letter in PDF format, no longer than two pages/7,500 characters, no larger than 6 MB. It should be flattened; see https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/hub/how-to-flatten-a-pdf.html for information on flattening.
The URL for the reference letter submission portal, which is https://public.era.nih.gov/commonsplus/public/lrpreference/referenceLetter.era
The eRA Commons user ID of the LRP applicant.
How to get this: If you were designated as the research mentor by the applicant, you received an email from NIH LRP stating that you are a mentor and providing the applicant's eRA Commons user ID. If you are not a mentor, you must obtain the ID directly from the applicant.
For mentored applications only, you must know if you are the applicant's mentor or a referee (all those who are not mentors are referees.)
How to know this: If you are not sure if you are a mentor, check your email or ask the LRP applicant directly. Only mentors will have received an email directly from the NIH LRP program asking for a reference letter. The email also states that you were designated as mentor by the applicant. Other referees are asked directly by the LRP applicant for a reference letter and do not possess an email from NIH LRP.
The date by which the reference letter must be submitted, so you can be sure of submitting prior to the deadline.
How to know this: LRP application due dates are listed at the bottom of this web page: https://www.lrp.nih.gov/eligibility-programs. The date can also be provided by the LRP applicant. All reference letter submissions must take place before the due date and preferably at least a week prior to the due date; if the due date is passed, you will see an error message when trying to submit.

Steps for Submitting a New Reference Letter for an LRP Applicant

Before following this procedure, make sure you have the required information; see What Do I Need to Submit a Reference Letter and Where Do I Find It?. If you already submitted once, and are now trying to replace the previously submitted letter, see Replacing a Previously Submitted Reference Letter for an LRP Applicant.

Go to this URL: https://public.era.nih.gov/commonsplus/public/lrpreference/referenceLetter.era

The Welcome screen appears.

Under Replace a Previously Submitted Letter on the right, enter the confirmation number you received after originally submitting the reference letter; then click the corresponding Find button.

A "Success! We found your previously submitted letter." message appears if the letter was found and is still within the deadline to submit.

Click the Next button.

The Your Information screen appears.

Enter the LRP applicant's eRA Commons user ID and click the Find button.

A success message appears if the user ID was found and your personal information (which you entered previously) appears below. You can change only your email, which is used to send communications regarding this submission.

Click Next.

The Upload Letter screen appears, with details of your previous submission and a warning that the letter will be overwritten if replaced.

Click the Upload button and find and select a replacement letter; then click Next. PDF requirements are stated in the blue box on this screen.

TIP: After choosing a file, you can also download it by clicking the View button; then you can open it with a PDF viewer on your device.

The Review & Submit screen appears.

Click the Replace Reference Letter button (which becomes enabled only after acknowledging the checkbox text).

A Success screen appears with the confirmation number. The confirmation number is also sent to you in email. Use the confirmation number if you need to replace the uploaded letter for any reason before the due date.

For more information on referees/recommenders (the persons who submit a letter on the LRP applicant's behalf), see Referees/Recommenders. For more information on mentors, see Mentors.