Enhancing Research Proposal Preparation with Artificial Intelligence: An Emerging Guide for Novel Researchers in Clinical and Health Sciences
Authors/Creators
Description
1Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia. email: chewboonhow@upm.edu.my.
2Family Medicine Specialist Clinic, Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Persiaran Mardi - UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Table of contents
INTRODUCTION
Table 1: AI research proposal generators from the least to the most useful
METHODS
Table 2: An overview of an example workflow
RESULTS
Step 1: Literature Review & Gap Analysis
Step 2: Proposal Drafting & Structuring
Step 3: Methodological & Statistical Design
Step 4: Reference Management & Integration
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
Supplementary File 1: AI tools for Literature Reviews
Supplementary File 2: An Outline of Research Proposal
Supplementary File 3: Research Proposal in 2 weeks_The Manual
Supplementary File 4: A Practical Guide to Effective Prompts for AI Tools in Research Proposal Preparation
Supplementary File 5: Estimating Sample Size for Clinical Studies
Supplementary File 6: AI Tools beyond Research Proposal that Assist in Data Collection, Statistical Analysis, Project Management and Report Writing for Publication including Findings Dissemination and Presentation Preparation
Abstract
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the process of research proposal preparation and writing by streamlining workflows and enhancing overall efficiency. This guide provides clinical researchers especially those early in their careers with a comprehensive framework for integrating AI tools into every phase of proposal development. It outlines four practical steps: Literature Review & Gap Analysis, Proposal Drafting & Structuring, Methodological & Statistical Design, and Reference Management & Integration. This was produced from collation of data from reputable social media channels, authoritative news platforms, and iterative outputs generated via ChatGPT, thereby offering a balanced and up-to-date perspective on current AI capabilities. Although the guide briefly discusses specialized platforms for data synthesis and citation management, its primary focus is on delivering actionable strategies to improve the quality and productivity of research proposals. By incorporating both free and paid AI tools tailored to various institutional resources, this guide empowers researchers to explore the recommended AI tools to refine their proposal preparation process while maintaining rigorous ethical standards and research integrity.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Writing, Research Proposal, Workflow
Notes
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to Professor Dr. Ngiam Kee Yuan for his exceptional hospitality during my stay as a visiting scholar at the Department of Biomedical Informatics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS) from March to December 2024. My sincere thanks also go to Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) for the support and sponsorship for my sabbatical and research leave, which enabled my participation in various lessons at NUS and online courses, during which several projects including this work, were successfully initiated, developed and completed. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM) for awarding me the Besrour Centre Family Medicine Early Career Researcher Award 2022, which supported my attendance at the online courses offered by the EITCA/Artificial Intelligence Academy. My gratitude extends to my colleagues in the Department of Family Medicine at UPM, whose willingness to cover for me was instrumental in making my sabbatical and research endeavours possible. Lastly, I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT-o3, ChatGPT-o3 mini, and ChatGPT-4.5 (OpenAI, San Francisco, CA, USA) in assisting with the drafting and language editing of portions of this manuscript. I have thoroughly reviewed and edited the content generated by these tools for accuracy and integrity, and I accept full responsibility for the final version of the manuscript.
Files
vNov25- Supplementary File 3 Research Proposal in 2 weeks_The Manual.pdf
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