A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) is a type of clinical research study used to test whether a new treatment is safe and effective.
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Participants are randomly assigned to two or more groups.
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One group receives the new treatment (intervention group).
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The other group(s) receive a standard treatment, placebo, or no treatment (control group).
By comparing outcomes across groups, researchers can measure the true effect of the new treatment. RCTs are considered the “gold standard” for testing new therapies and are required by government agencies before new treatments can be approved.
Where can I find RCTs? You can search for RCTs in the Library’s health and medical databases. Each database has a way to limit to RCTs:
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CINAHL & Medline – From the Library’s Database list, run your search → scroll down to Publication Type → select Randomized Controlled Trial.
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PubMed – Search your topic → use the Article Type filter on the left and choose Randomized Controlled Trial. You can also add “RCT” or “Randomized Controlled Trial” to your keywords.
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Cochrane Library – From the Library’s Database list, search your topic → select the “Trials” tab to view RCTs.
Tip: When searching, try synonyms for your condition (e.g., “high blood pressure” OR “hypertension”), and combine them with the RCT filter for precise results.