PROSPERO Registration: Step-by-Step Guide 2026
PROSPERO Registration: Step-by-Step Guide 2026
š Quick Summary: Registering your protocol is a free, essential step before starting your systematic review or meta-analysis. This guide walks you through the entire process ā from creating your account to submitting the form ā with field-by-field instructions tailored for Indian medical postgraduates (MD, MS, DNB, PhD).
š Table of Contents
- What is PROSPERO and Why Register?
- Eligibility Criteria for PROSPERO Registration
- What You Need Before Starting Registration
- Step-by-Step Registration Process
- How to Fill Each PROSPERO Form Field
- PROSPERO vs Other Registration Platforms
- Common Mistakes That Delay Approval
- What Happens After Registration
- Frequently Asked Questions
400K+
Reviews Registered
FREE
Registration Cost
2-4 Weeks
Typical Approval Time
š¬ What is PROSPERO and Why Register?
PROSPERO is an international database of prospectively registered systematic reviews. The Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) at the University of York, UK, manages this database. In simple terms, it is a public record where you declare your systematic review plans before you begin the actual review work.
However, This step is not just a formality. It serves three critical purposes for your medical thesis or research project. First, it prevents duplication ā other researchers can see that someone is already working on your topic. Second, it reduces reporting bias because your methods are locked in before you see your results. Most importantly, many high-impact journals now require a protocol ID number before they consider your systematic review manuscript for publication.
For Indian medical postgraduates doing systematic reviews as part of their MD, MS, DNB, or PhD thesis, protocol registration has become practically mandatory. Universities like RUHS, AIIMS, and most NMC-affiliated medical colleges now expect students to register their systematic review protocols. Furthermore, examiners and reviewers view a PROSPERO-registered review as more credible and methodologically rigorous.
š” Pro Tip
Register your systematic review on PROSPERO as early as possible ā ideally right after your synopsis is approved by the ethics committee. The earlier you register, the stronger your claim on the topic. Additionally, some journals will reject your manuscript if you registered after completing data extraction.
š¼ļø Suggested Image: Screenshot of the PROSPERO homepage (crd.york.ac.uk/prospero) showing the registration and search options
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š Eligibility Criteria for PROSPERO Registration
Not every type of review qualifies for this platform. Before you begin the process, you need to confirm that your review meets the eligibility requirements. Understanding these criteria upfront will save you from wasting time on a submission that gets rejected.
Reviews That PROSPERO Accepts
PROSPERO accepts systematic reviews, rapid reviews, and umbrella reviews that have a health-related outcome. This covers most medical thesis topics ā whether you are studying drug interventions, surgical techniques, diagnostic accuracy, prognostic factors, or public health interventions. In addition, reviews in social care, welfare, education, and international development with a health outcome are also eligible.
Reviews That PROSPERO Does NOT Accept
Scoping reviews are currently not eligible for PROSPERO registration. If you are conducting a scoping review for your thesis, you should consider registering on the Open Science Framework (OSF) or INPLASY instead. Similarly, narrative reviews, literature reviews, and integrative reviews without systematic methodology do not qualify.
š« Common Mistake
Many students try to register their review after data extraction is complete. PROSPERO specifically states that you should register reviews before you begin the data extraction stage. If you have already started extracting data, your registration may be rejected or flagged as retrospective. Consequently, always register early in the process.
Timing Requirements
The ideal time to register is after your protocol is finalized but before you begin screening studies for inclusion. As a result, the best workflow for Indian medical thesis students is: Synopsis approval ā Ethics committee clearance ā PROSPERO registration ā Begin literature search and screening. This sequence ensures that your registration is truly prospective.
š What You Need Before Starting Registration
Jumping into the PROSPERO form without preparation is the number one reason registrations get delayed or rejected. Therefore, gather all the following information before you open the registration page. Having everything ready means you can complete the form in one sitting rather than saving and returning multiple times.
šÆ Checklist: Have These Ready
- Review title in English (matching your thesis title)
- Names, emails, and affiliations of all review team members
- Your PICO/PECO framework (Population, Intervention/Exposure, Comparator, Outcome)
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria for studies
- List of databases you will search (PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, etc.)
- Complete search strategy for at least one database
- Data extraction plan and variables list
- Risk of bias assessment tool you will use (RoB 2, ROBINS-I, NOS, etc.)
- Data synthesis plan (narrative, meta-analysis, or both)
- Funding source information (or “No funding” for thesis work)
- Ethics committee approval details (if applicable)
ā¹ļø Did You Know?
PROSPERO requires your search strategy to be detailed and reproducible. For instance, you need to provide the exact search terms, Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and filters you used. Simply writing “we searched PubMed for relevant articles” will get your registration sent back for revisions. To illustrate, a proper search string looks like: ((“wound healing”) AND (“negative pressure” OR “vacuum assisted”) AND (“randomized controlled trial” OR “RCT”))
ā” Step-by-Step PROSPERO Registration Process
Now that you have all your information ready, let us walk through the actual registration process. Follow these steps exactly and you will finish your submission in under an hour.
Steps 1-2: Account Setup and Duplicate Check
Create Your PROSPERO Account
Visit crd.york.ac.uk/prospero and click “Register” to create a free account. Use your institutional email (e.g., your AIIMS, medical college, or university email) as this adds credibility. Fill in your name, affiliation, and contact details. You will receive a confirmation email ā click the link to activate your account.
Search for Existing Reviews on Your Topic
Before starting your registration, search the PROSPERO database for existing registrations on your topic. Use keywords from your title and check if someone has already registered a similar review. If a similar review exists, you need to justify how yours is different ā perhaps a different population, different intervention, or a more recent time frame. This step is critical because PROSPERO may reject duplicate registrations.
Steps 3-4: Filling the Registration Form
Start a New Registration
Log in to your account and click “New Registration.” You will see the registration form with four main sections: Title and Timescale, Review Team Details, Methods, and General Information. An asterisk (*) marks all required fields. You can save your progress at any point and return later ā the form does not need to be completed in one session.
Fill in All Required Fields
Complete each section carefully using the information you prepared earlier. The Methods section is the most detailed ā it covers your review question, search strategy, study eligibility, data extraction plan, risk of bias assessment, and data synthesis approach. We cover each field in detail in the next section below.
Steps 5-6: Submit and Get Your CRD Number
Review and Submit
Once all required fields are complete, the “Submit” button becomes active. Before clicking it, review every field one more time ā especially your review title, objectives, and search strategy. After submission, PROSPERO’s editorial team reviews your registration. Subsequently, you will receive either an approval email with your CRD registration number, or a request for revisions.
Receive Your Registration Number
Upon approval, you receive a unique PROSPERO ID (e.g., CRD42026XXXXXX). This number goes into your thesis, your manuscript, and any publications arising from the review. For example, you would cite it as: “This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42026XXXXXX).” Keep this number safe ā you will need it throughout your project.
š¼ļø Suggested Image: Screenshot of the PROSPERO “New Registration” form showing the four sections (Title & Timescale, Review Team, Methods, General Info)
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šÆ Struggling with your PROSPERO registration? PubMedico can fill and submit the entire form for you.
š How to Fill Each PROSPERO Form Field
The PROSPERO registration form has four sections. Here is a detailed breakdown of the most important fields in each section, along with examples specific to Indian medical theses.
Section 1: Title and Timescale
The Review Title must be in English and should clearly describe the intervention, population, and outcome. For instance, “Efficacy of Intrathecal Nalbuphine as an Adjuvant to Ropivacaine in Lower Segment Caesarean Section: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Additionally, provide the anticipated start date (when screening begins) and expected completion date. Be realistic ā most thesis systematic reviews take 6-12 months to complete.
Section 2: Review Team Details
List every team member with their full name, email, and institutional affiliation. The Named Contact is usually you (the student), while you should list your thesis guide as a team member. Moreover, include your organisational affiliation ā for example, “Department of Anaesthesiology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.” If you have a co-guide or a statistician involved, include them as well.
Section 3: Methods (Most Critical)
This is the longest and most important section. It covers everything about how you plan to conduct the review. Here are the key fields:
Review Question: State your PICO-formatted question clearly. For example: “In adult patients undergoing lower segment caesarean section (P), does intrathecal nalbuphine as an adjuvant to ropivacaine (I) compared to ropivacaine alone (C) improve postoperative analgesia duration and reduce pain scores (O)?”
Searches: List all databases you will search ā typically PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Also mention any grey literature sources like Google Scholar, clinical trial registries (CTRI, ClinicalTrials.gov), or thesis repositories. In addition, describe your search strategy with actual search terms.
Types of Study: Specify which study designs you will include. Most commonly, you will write “Randomized controlled trials (RCTs)” for intervention reviews, or “Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional)” for non-intervention topics.
Condition or Domain: Describe the health condition you are studying. Be specific ā “pre-eclampsia in pregnant women” is better than “pregnancy complications.”
Participants/Population: Define who you will include and exclude. For instance, “Adult patients (ā„18 years) undergoing elective LSCS under spinal anaesthesia. Exclusion: emergency LSCS, patients with contraindications to spinal anaesthesia, ASA grade III or above.”
Intervention/Exposure: Describe the intervention or exposure precisely. Include dosage, route, and timing if relevant.
Comparator: What is the control group receiving? For example, “Spinal anaesthesia with ropivacaine alone (without nalbuphine adjuvant).”
Primary and Secondary Outcomes: List them separately. Primary outcomes are your main results (e.g., duration of analgesia, VAS pain scores). Secondary outcomes are additional measures (e.g., onset time, side effects, patient satisfaction).
Data Extraction: Describe how two independent reviewers will extract data using a standardized form and how they will resolve disagreements (usually through a third reviewer or consensus).
Quality Assessment and Synthesis Fields
Risk of Bias Assessment: Name the specific tool ā RoB 2 for RCTs, ROBINS-I for non-randomized studies, Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for observational studies, or QUADAS-2 for diagnostic accuracy studies.
Strategy for Data Synthesis: Explain whether you will do a narrative synthesis, meta-analysis, or both. If doing meta-analysis, specify the software (RevMan, R, Stata), the model (random-effects or fixed-effects), the effect measures (mean difference, odds ratio, risk ratio), and how you will assess heterogeneity (IĀ² statistic, Cochran’s Q test).
ā ļø Important
The Methods section is where most rejections happen. PROSPERO reviewers specifically check for vague language. Avoid writing “appropriate statistical methods will be used” ā instead, name the exact methods and tools. Similarly, do not write “relevant databases will be searched” ā list every database by name. The more specific you are, the faster your approval.
Section 4: General Information
This section covers funding, conflicts of interest, and other administrative details. For most Indian thesis students, the funding field should state “No external funding received. The student is conducting this review as part of the [degree name] thesis at [institution name].” For conflicts of interest, most students write “None declared.” Also indicate the current stage of the review ā select “Preliminary searches” or “Piloting of the study selection process” if you have just started.
š¼ļø Suggested Image: Annotated screenshot of the PROSPERO Methods section showing required fields highlighted
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š PROSPERO vs Other Registration Platforms
While PROSPERO is the most widely used platform, it is not the only option. Here is a comparison to help you decide which platform suits your review type.
š” Pro Tip
For maximum credibility with Indian medical journals and university examiners, PROSPERO remains the gold standard. However, if you need fast registration (for instance, your thesis submission deadline is approaching), INPLASY processes registrations within 48 hours. Some students register on both platforms for added security, especially when publishing in international journals.
ā ļø Common Mistakes That Delay Approval
Based on our experience helping hundreds of medical students with systematic review protocol support at PubMedico, here are the most frequent errors that cause PROSPERO to request revisions.
Vague Search Strategy
Writing “we will search PubMed and Google Scholar” without providing actual search terms, MeSH headings, and Boolean operators. PROSPERO expects a reproducible search string. For example, provide the full PubMed search query with all your terms, operators, and filters.
Registering Too Late
Submitting the registration after data extraction has begun or ā worse ā after writing results. PROSPERO checks the review stage you declare. If you indicate that data extraction is complete, your registration will likely be rejected. As a result, never delay this step.
Incomplete PICO Framework
Not clearly defining Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome in the review question. PROSPERO reviewers specifically look for these elements. Furthermore, you should detail each element enough that another researcher could replicate your inclusion criteria.
Not Naming Specific Tools
Writing “appropriate tools will be used for risk of bias assessment” instead of naming the specific tool (RoB 2, NOS, QUADAS-2). Similarly, stating “statistical software will be used” instead of naming RevMan, R, or Stata with the specific version number.
Missing Team Member Details
Not including all team members or providing incomplete affiliations. You should list every person who will contribute to screening, data extraction, or quality assessment. In addition, use institutional email addresses rather than personal Gmail accounts for better credibility.
š¼ļø Suggested Image: Infographic showing the 5 common PROSPERO mistakes with red X marks and green checkmark corrections
Recommended size: 800Ć600px | Add alt text: “Common PROSPERO registration mistakes to avoid”
ā What Happens After Registration
Once you submit your registration, it enters PROSPERO’s editorial review queue. Here is what to expect and what actions you need to take at each stage.
Approval Timeline
Most registrations take 2-4 weeks for approval. However, submissions from the UK may be processed faster because PROSPERO is funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). During peak submission periods (September-November, when many thesis students are registering), the wait can extend to 6-8 weeks. Consequently, plan your timeline accordingly.
If Revisions Are Requested
Do not panic if PROSPERO asks for revisions ā this is common and does not mean rejection. Typically, they ask you to add more detail to your search strategy, clarify your inclusion criteria, or specify your analytical methods. Address each comment point by point and resubmit. The revision turnaround is usually faster than the initial review.
Updating Your Registration
After approval, you can and should update your registration as your review progresses. For instance, if you change your statistical approach from fixed-effects to random-effects meta-analysis, log in and update the record. PROSPERO maintains a version history so both the original plan and any amendments are visible. This transparency is actually a strength, not a weakness ā it shows methodological rigor.
Marking Your Review as Complete
Once you publish your systematic review or submit your thesis, return to PROSPERO and update the status to “Completed.” Add the publication details including the journal name, DOI, and citation. This closes the loop and helps other researchers find your completed work.
ā¹ļø Did You Know?
Many students forget to update their PROSPERO record after thesis submission. This is a missed opportunity. Journals and other researchers check PROSPERO to see if researchers completed their reviews. An updated record with your publication link drives traffic to your paper and shows that you followed through on your registered plan.
šÆ Key Takeaways
- Register on PROSPERO before you begin screening studies ā never after data extraction
- Prepare all your protocol details (PICO, search strategy, RoB tool) before starting the form
- Be specific in every field ā vague language is the top reason for revision requests
- Approval takes 2-4 weeks typically, so factor this into your thesis timeline
- Update your registration as your review progresses and when it is published
- Your PROSPERO ID (CRD number) goes in your thesis and any journal manuscript
ā Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is registering your protocol mandatory for my thesis?
While PROSPERO registration is not technically mandatory by law, most Indian medical universities and NMC-affiliated colleges now expect it for systematic review theses. Furthermore, high-impact journals like The Lancet, BMJ, and JAMA require a registered protocol. In practice, it has become a de facto requirement for any serious systematic review work.
Q: Can I register a scoping review on PROSPERO?
No, PROSPERO does not currently accept scoping reviews. For scoping reviews, you should use the Open Science Framework (OSF) or INPLASY instead. Both platforms accept scoping review protocols and provide a registration number or DOI that you can cite in your thesis and manuscript.
Q: How long does PROSPERO approval take?
Typically 2-4 weeks, but during peak submission periods it can take up to 6-8 weeks. Submissions from the UK tend to be processed faster due to NIHR funding priorities. If your approval is taking longer, you can email the PROSPERO team at crd-register@york.ac.uk for a status update. Consequently, register well ahead of your thesis deadlines.
Q: Can I change my review methods after PROSPERO registration?
Yes, you can submit amendments to your registration at any time. PROSPERO understands that methods may evolve as the review progresses. Log in to your account, make the changes, and provide a brief justification for each amendment. All changes are version-tracked, so the original registration and all amendments remain visible. This is actually viewed positively by journals and examiners ā it demonstrates transparency.
More Common Questions
Q: Is PROSPERO registration free?
Yes, Registering on this platform is completely free of charge. There are no hidden fees, no subscription costs, and no charges for updates or amendments. This makes it accessible to all researchers, including Indian medical thesis students who may not have dedicated research funding. In contrast, INPLASY charges approximately $40 USD per registration.
Q: What if my PROSPERO registration is rejected?
Outright rejection is rare. In most cases, PROSPERO requests revisions rather than rejecting the registration. However, if your review does not meet eligibility criteria (e.g., it is a scoping review or data extraction is already complete), it may be declined. In that case, you can register on INPLASY or OSF as an alternative. Additionally, you can address the eligibility issue and resubmit if possible.
š Need Help With PROSPERO Registration?
PubMedico has helped hundreds of MD, MS, DNB, and PhD students get their systematic review protocols approved on PROSPERO. We handle the entire process ā writing the protocol, preparing the search strategy, filling the form, and responding to revision requests.
What you get: Complete PROSPERO form filling, PRISMA-P compliant protocol, reproducible search strategy for all databases, and unlimited revisions until approval.