Editorial & Corrections Policy

PlainTrial turns the NIH's public ClinicalTrials.gov registry into readable condition, sponsor, and state pages. This page explains how those pages are produced, the standards we hold them to, and exactly how to flag a number that looks wrong.

How Pages Are Produced

PlainTrial's trial, condition, sponsor, and state pages are generated from a single published source: ClinicalTrials.gov, the US clinical trial registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine (NIH). We load the registry into a structured database and render every page from that database. The figures you see — trial counts, recruiting status, phase distributions, enrollment targets, sponsor totals, and per-state activity — are taken directly from each study's registry record as reported by its sponsor. We do not alter the underlying numbers, and we do not estimate values that the registry does not provide.

This is a data-publishing model: the same template renders tens of thousands of pages so that every condition, sponsor, and state is covered consistently. We are transparent that these data pages are produced programmatically from the source registry rather than written one by one. The editorial work goes into the pipeline — how data is sourced, normalized, and computed — into the methodology, and into the written patient guides; not into hand-authoring near-identical pages, which would add no accuracy and invite inconsistency.

Sourcing Standards

  • One primary source. Every trial figure comes from ClinicalTrials.gov, as documented in our methodology. We do not scrape secondary sites or blend in unverified data.
  • Attribution in context. Each page names ClinicalTrials.gov near its figures and links to the original registry entry so you can verify any detail at the source.
  • Derived values are labeled. Numbers we compute ourselves — recruiting-share percentages, phase splits, rankings — are presented as our analysis of registry data, distinct from the registry's own fields.
  • No invented data. Where the registry does not record a value (for example, an unassigned trial phase), the page says so rather than filling the gap with a guess.

Update Cadence

ClinicalTrials.gov is updated continuously as sponsors register new studies and revise existing ones. We refresh our mirror of the registry on a recurring schedule and recompute derived metrics at that time. Because a trial's status, phase, and enrollment are reported by its sponsor and can change between our refreshes, the most current record for any single study is always the live ClinicalTrials.gov entry, which every detail page links to directly.

Corrections Process

If a figure on PlainTrial looks wrong, please tell us. Because our pages are generated from the registry, a genuine error almost always traces back to either the source record or our processing of it — so this is how we handle a report:

  1. Report. Email corrections@plaintrial.com or use the contact page with the page URL and the number that looks off.
  2. Verify. We compare the figure against the study's published ClinicalTrials.gov record.
  3. Fix at the source. If the value is wrong on our side, we correct it in the database and pipeline that generate the page — not just on the single page — so every affected page is fixed at once. If the figure faithfully reflects the registry, we explain that and, where the registry itself is the issue, point you to ClinicalTrials.gov to request a change.
  4. Note it. Material corrections are reflected the next time the page rebuilds from the refreshed registry.

We aim to acknowledge data-error reports within a few business days.

Editorial Independence

PlainTrial is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with the NIH, the National Library of Medicine, ClinicalTrials.gov, or any trial sponsor. We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from trial sponsors, pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, investigator sites, or any covered entity. Our only revenue is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense; advertisers do not influence which trials, conditions, or sponsors we cover or how we present data. Our rankings are computed mechanically from registry figures, so no sponsor can pay to move up a list.

Appropriate Use

PlainTrial is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. A trial listing is not a recommendation, and inclusion of a study, sponsor, or intervention is neither an endorsement nor a statement that it is safe or effective for you. Eligibility, protocol changes, and recruiting status can shift frequently. For any decision about participating in a clinical trial, confirm current details on ClinicalTrials.gov and consult your own licensed healthcare provider. See our full appropriate-use disclaimer.