What is a Randomized Controlled Trial?
A randomized controlled trial is where a subject is randomly assigned to a group that either gets the intervention being studied or not, which is done to attempt to limit bias.
Find Randomized Controlled Trials
You can narrow your search to randomized controlled trials only by adding a search term of randomized controlled trials to your search statement either using the Search Everything box on the library homepage or the individual databases on the Database A to Z page.
Example:
mindfulness AND “chronic pain” AND "randomized controlled trial"
There are also filters in specific databases to limit your search results to randomized controlled trial articles only. The following section on this guide will show you how to use these databases to find randomized controlled trials.
Use Database Randomized Controlled Trials Filters
PubMed: Randomized Controlled Trials Filter
- Database - PubMedPubMed is an online source provided by the National Library of Medicine that features millions of citations for biomedical literature from Medline, life science journals, and eBooks. Citations may include links to full-text content from the Chamberlain Library, PubMed Central, and publisher websites.
To find a randomized controlled trial in PubMed, follow the steps below.
- Go to the database using the link above.
- Enter your keyword(s) into the search box.
- Select Search.
- Select Randomized Controlled Trial from the Article Type section under the My NCBI Filters section on the left-hand side of the page. The image below shows the results for a search for autism spectrum disorder and indicates the Randomized Control Trial filter under the My NCBI Filters.
CINAHL or Medline: Randomized Controlled Trial Filter
- Database - CINAHL with Full TextCINAHL with Full Text is the world’s largest database of nursing and allied health journals covering topics on nursing, biomedicine, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health, and 17 allied health disciplines.
- Database - Medline Complete from EBSCOMedline Complete provides access to journals covering a wide range of topics in the biomedical sciences and medicine.
To find randomized controlled trials in CINAHL or Medline, follow the steps below.
- Select one of the database links above to open the Advanced Search page.
- Enter your keyword(s) into the search boxes.
- Move down to the Limit Your Results section. This is where you can add filters to your search to tell the database that you only want articles that fit specific criteria.
- Select Randomized Controlled Trial from the Publication Type menu, as shown in the image below.
Review Randomized Controlled Trial Example
- Article - Addition of dexamethasone to local infiltration analgesia in elective total knee arthroplasty: Double-blind, randomized control trial.El-Boghdadly, K., Short, A. J., Gandhi, R., & Chan, V. (2021). Addition of dexamethasone to local infiltration analgesia in elective total knee arthroplasty: Double-blind, randomized control trial. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 46(2), 130–136. https://doi.org/10.1136/rapm-2020-102079