Clinical Research Glossary
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allocation (research) allocation (research)

CDISC

A way to assign participants to study treatment or control groups.

Example of allocation (research) in a sentence

A study’s allocation method will be described in the protocol.

More Info

Allocation refers to the process of putting participants into different study groups.

Randomization is a form of allocation that supports balance between study groups.

Other info to think about when joining a study

When you are thinking about joining a study, you may read or hear things about “participant allocation.” If you have questions about what group you could be put into or what each group will be asked to do during the research, you should feel free to ask the study team before you give informed consent.

An illustrative flowchart to be viewed from left to right. On the left is a box containing 8 human icons representing a group of study participants. An arrow points right to a circle icon with 2 crisscrossing arrows inside, surrounded by a red circle, representing the allocation process. From this icon, 2 dotted lines branch out — one pointing to the top right where 4 human icons form 1 group, and another pointing to the bottom right where a second group of 4 human icons is shown.
Version 4.0 September 2026

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