Clinical terminology
Research terms in plain language
Words you are likely to see in study listings and consent documents.
- Protocol
- The written plan that describes how a study will be carried out, including its purpose, steps, and schedule.
- Informed consent
- The process of learning about a study and agreeing to take part, supported by a written document.
- Eligibility criteria
- The guidelines a study team uses to decide who can take part. They are set by each independent study.
- Placebo
- An inactive substance or approach used for comparison in some studies.
- Randomization
- A method of assigning volunteers to study groups by chance so groups can be compared fairly.
- Blinding
- A design in which volunteers, staff, or both do not know which group a volunteer is in.
- Ethics committee
- An independent group, often called an Institutional Review Board, that reviews studies to help protect volunteers.
- Principal investigator
- The researcher who leads a study at a specific location.
- Study coordinator
- A team member who helps schedule visits and answers everyday questions.
- Healthy volunteer
- A person without the condition being studied who takes part to help researchers compare results.
- Adverse event
- Any unwanted experience reported during a study, whether or not it is related to the study itself.
- Follow-up
- Check-ins that take place after the main part of a study.