Research A-Z
Randomized controlled trial (RCT)
Definition
A study in which people are allocated at random (by chance alone) to receive one of several clinical interventions. One of these interventions is the standard of comparison or control. The control may be a standard practice, a placebo or no intervention at all. Randomized controlled trials seek to measure and compare the outcomes after the participants receive the interventions. Because the outcomes are measured, they are quantitative studies.
