•  Candidate fellows must hold a PhD or its equivalent or must submit a letter from the pertinent program director or department chair certifying ABD status.

•  Applications and proposals will be evaluated with respect to general intellectual promise and rigor.

•  Preference will be given to those projects that are likely to make the best use of materials in the Noel Collection and that help the Noel Collection better assess the extent and character of holdings.

•  Preference will also be given to applicants using research methods consonant with the missions of the Noel Collection: the conservation of historical books and the exploration of the vast archive of early modern culture. As a result, Noel Fellowships will most likely be awarded to those using traditional rather than highly theorized or ideological approaches.

•  The Noel Collection especially encourages projects concerned with the novelties and singularities of cultural and intellectual life from across the eras of print culture.