Research Proposal Template

Surgical Research Proposal Template
Pre-Ethics Submission: Literature Review and Feasibility Assessment

1. Research Proposal Title

  • Proposed Title of the Study:
    • A concise, descriptive title that clearly reflects the study’s aim.

2. Researcher Information

  • First Author
    (the person who will be doing all the work and will be first name on the paper)
  • Senior Author
    (the person who is last on the paper and main supervisor)
  • Co-Authors
    (every other person who is helping collect the data)

3. Research Question / Hypothesis

  • Primary Research Question:
    • What is the main question you aim to answer with this research?
      Please try to answer the ‘so what’ question? ie. what’s the point of this research

4. Background and Rational

  • Introduction to the Topic:
    • Briefly introduce the issue being addressed.
  • Relevance of the Study:
    • Why is this research important? Discuss the clinical or scientific relevance.
  • Current Challenges in the Field:
    • Outline the existing problems or gaps in knowledge that your research aims to address.
  • Potential Impact on Patient Care or Surgery:
    • How could this study benefit surgical practice or patient outcomes?

6. Literature Review

  • Key Studies and Findings:
    • This is the longest and most important part, you should write it as if it’s your actual introduction to the paper and discussion session (the best papers are whose where this is already written and you are just waiting for the data and stats)
    • Summarize the most relevant research articles published
      • number of patients
      • length of followup
    • Justify will your likely dataset and article will add to this literature?
    • List the 5 Journals that you will aim to submit to (must all be in PubMed and include impact factor)
      • 1
      • 2
      • 3
      • 4
      • 5
    • Have these journals accepted articles in this topic before?

7. Research Methodology

  • Study Design:
    • Outline whether your study is observational, retrospective, interventional, randomized, etc.
  • Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria:
    • Define the criteria for participant selection (age, gender, condition, etc.).
  • Outcome Measures:
    • What are the primary and secondary outcomes you will measure?
  • Data Collection Methods:
    • How will you gather the data? (e.g., surveys, clinical assessments, imaging, etc.)
  • Statistical Methods:
    • Describe the statistical tests or approaches that will be used for data analysis.

8. Ethical Considerations

  • Ethics Approval Process:
    • Explain your plan for obtaining ethics approval.
  • Informed Consent:
    • Outline how participants will be informed and consented to participate in the study.
  • Risks and Benefits:
    • Discuss potential risks to participants and how they will be minimized.
    • What are the expected benefits of the research to participants or society?
  • Confidentiality and Data Protection:
    • How will participant confidentiality and data security be maintained?

9. Feasibility Assessment

  • Resources and Equipment:
    • List all required resources (e.g., surgical instruments, medical equipment, software, etc.).
  • Availability of Participants:
    • Provide information on the availability of suitable participants or patients.
  • Collaborations and Partnerships:
    • Identify any partners or collaborators involved in the project, such as hospitals or research institutions.
  • Funding and Budget:
    • Estimate the cost of the project and where the funding will come from.
  • Timeline:
    • Provide a rough timeline for the completion of key stages of the research.

11. Conclusion

  • Summary of the Study’s Value:
    • Reiterate the importance of the research and how it will contribute to the field.

12. References

  • Cited Literature:
    • Provide full citations of all the studies, articles, and reviews mentioned in your literature review.

Additional Tips for Researchers:

Tools like Zotero or EndNote can help organize and format your citations.

Literature Search Strategy:

Use databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Limit the search to peer-reviewed journals and prioritize the last 5–10 years of research for the most up-to-date information.