Clinical Trials

Why Should I Register and Submit Results?

Purpose of Clinical Trials Result Submission:

Purpose of clinical trial result submission and making this information publicly available fulfills a number of purposes and benefits a variety of people.

Trial Registry Purposes and Benefits for Various Groups

Registry Purpose

Fulfill ethical obligations to participants and the research community

Provide information to potential participants and referring clinicians

Reduce publication bias

Help editors and others understand the context of study results

Promote more efficient allocation of research funds

Help institutional review boards (IRBs) determine the appropriateness of a research study

Groups that benefit

Patients, the general public, the research community

Patients, clinicians

Users of the medical literature

Journal editors, users of the medical literature

Granting agencies, the research community

IRBs, ethicists

Results Database Purposes and Benefits for Various Groups

Results Database Purpose

Provide a public record of basic study results in a standardized format

Promote the fulfillment of ethical obligations to participants and the overall contribution of research results to medical knowledge

Reduce publication and outcome reporting biases

Facilitate systematic reviews and other analyses of the research literature

Groups that benefit

Researchers, journal editors, IRBs, ethicists

Patients, the general public, the research community

Users of the medical literature

Researchers, policymakers