Clinical Trial Experimental Design

1. Choose & follow experimental design: Keep in mind that you want to choose a design
that best supports doing a clinical trial where you will need to set up a control group and
a treatment group. I recommend problem-solving model 2 and the scientific method.
2. Create procedures for trial: This is where you need to describe the steps in conducting
your trial and how you will create a placebo for the control group.
Think about how many participants you will need
Think about how many days it will take you to complete
Think about what changes you need to make from the original sciencebuddy activity to
make your experiment compatible with the procedures of a clinical trial
Think about what graphic organizer or chart you will need to record your data.
Think about what data you need to record
Remember that what you give your participants must look identical so neither can tell
which is receiving your treatment and which is receiving your placebo.
3. Make a list of needed materials: Try to choose materials that are easy to get and not that
expensive to by.
4. Create a participant consent form: Your form needs to describe to your participants the
following:
what the purpose of the clinical trial is
what they will be doing and/or consuming
how long they will need to participate and what they can and cannot do while
participating
possible physical risks they may face while participating in the trial

how you will compensate your participants time