Clinical Research Glossary

control group control group

CDISC

The people in a study who do not receive the study treatment or do not have the condition being studied.

Example of control group in a sentence

A control group is used as a comparison to see the effect of the study treatment.

More Info

Participants in the control group receive something different during the research study compared to the intervention group. The control group might receive a different dose, standard of care, a placebo, or no treatment at all.

Other info to think about when joining a study

Whether a research study has a control group is important to understand. You could ask if the study you are thinking about joining will have a control group. If there is, you could ask what being in the control group will involve. For example, being in the control group could mean getting a placebo or the standard of care for the disease the study is looking at. You can also ask how participants will be assigned to the control group. This is often decided randomly, using randomization.

Version 2.0 September 2024

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