title: [Guideline for the assessment of clinical research proposals. Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medical research is a fundamental tool to achieve the advancement of science, through the improvement of strategies aimed to protect, promote and restore an individual's and society's health. Three characteristics are required to obtain approval of the research proposal: scientific relevance, technical quality and the accomplishment of ethical issues.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present review aimed at the determination of the specific criteria to perform a critical review of research proposals.
  
  
  METHODS
  A research was carried out in the PubMed, Medline, Ovid and Google Scholar databases, using the terms: peer review, research proposals, review and protocols, and reviewers. A total of 3546 related articles were reviewed, without finding a guide to critically assess research proposals. The guides to assess research articles consider that the quality criteria of the study should have been present since the study's conception; many of the issues described to review articles are incorporated in the review of the research proposals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The specific criteria were integrated to allow the reviewer to critically assess research proposals of different areas with scientific basis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reviewer of research proposals should be considered as a professional that contributes to the promotion of knowledge advancement through his/her comments, which allow researchers to improve the quality of research proposals.
authors: Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México DF, Mexico.
authors: Juan Manuel
authors: JM
authors: Mejía-Aranguré
authors: División de Desarrollo de la Investigación de la Coordinación de Investigación en Salud, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México DF, Mexico.
authors: Israel
authors: I
authors: Grijalva-Otero
authors: Unidad de Investigación Médica en Trombosis, Hemostasia y Aterogénesis, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México DF, Mexico.
authors: Abraham
authors: A
authors: Majluf-Cruz
authors: Unidad de Investigación Médica en Bioquímica, Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México DF, Mexico.
authors: Miguel
authors: M
authors: Cruz-López
authors: Unidad de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México DF, Mexico.
authors: Juan Carlos
authors: JC
authors: Núñez-Enríquez
authors: Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México DF, Mexico. fabio.salamanca@imss.gob.mx.
authors: Fabio Abdiel
authors: FA
authors: Salamanca-Gómez
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000592:standards*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D006801:Humans; D017712:Peer Review, Research; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014956:Writing / Q000592:standards
keywords: comité científico; comité de ética; peer review; protocolo de investigación; research proposals; reviewer protocols