Learn · last reviewed 2026-08-17
How clinical trials work, in English
These pages teach registry literacy: how to search, how to read an NCT record, and what questions to ask. They are not treatment guides and not a match to a study.
How to find a clinical trial (without getting lost in protocol-speak)
A step-by-step way to search recruiting studies on ClinicalTrials.gov and PlainTrials, then confirm eligibility with the study team. Not medical advice.
How to read a ClinicalTrials.gov record
What NCT, Overall Status, Phase, Eligibility, and Contacts mean on an official ClinicalTrials.gov study record. Not medical advice.
Eligibility criteria, explained in plain English
What inclusion and exclusion criteria are, why trials use them, and how to read them on ClinicalTrials.gov. Not a determination of whether you qualify.
Informed consent in clinical trials
What informed consent is supposed to cover, that you can leave a study, and that a website rewrite is not a consent form.
Placebo, blinding, and randomization
What placebo, double-blind, and randomized mean on a ClinicalTrials.gov record, in plain English. Not medical advice.
Costs, travel, and time in a clinical trial
What to ask about study-paid tests, insurance, stipends, and visit burden. Practices vary by sponsor and site. Not financial or medical advice.
Questions to ask a clinical trial coordinator
A practical list of questions for a study coordinator or investigator, tied to the NCT record. Not medical advice.
Observational vs interventional studies
How ClinicalTrials.gov StudyType differs when researchers assign a treatment versus when they only measure what already happens.