Free Medical Research Proposal Template

This free Word template gives you a clear eight-section structure for a medical research proposal, with a prompt under every heading so you know what to write.

What is inside

• Title and team, background and rationale
• Research question, objectives and hypothesis
• Methods: design, eligibility, outcomes, sample size, analysis plan, bias control
• Ethics and governance, timeline and resources, outputs and authorship

How to use it

1. Open the file and replace each grey [bracketed] prompt with your own text.
2. Write the research question first (the PICO worksheet helps), then the methods, then the background.
3. Delete sections your institution does not require; check its word limits.
4. Ask your mentor to review before you submit to an ethics board or funder.

Example (illustrative)

Under Methods the template asks: "[Primary and secondary outcomes with definitions and timing]". A completed line might read: Primary outcome: 30-day all-cause readmission, from hospital records. (Illustrative wording only.)

Limitations and cautions

The template does not decide your design or sample size; those choices need a mentor and, often, a statistician. Funders and ethics boards may require their own form, so treat this file as a drafting scaffold. The file is free to use and edit, and the footer credits MedResearch Ninja.

MRN templates are original, editable starting points. Reporting standards (PRISMA, CARE, ICMJE and others) belong to their authors: use the official versions linked above for formal submissions.