Clinical Research Methods

Design, run and report a study that stands up to review.

What the course covers

8 modules, 32 topics. Open any one to see what sits inside it.

1. 1.1 What clinical research is for
2. 1.2 Research, audit and service evaluation distinguished
3. 1.3 Developing a research question
4. 1.4 Feasibility, and the team you need
1. 2.1 Randomised controlled trials
2. 2.2 Cohort and case-control studies
3. 2.3 Cross-sectional and diagnostic studies
4. 2.4 Qualitative and mixed methods
1. 3.1 Randomisation and allocation concealment
2. 3.2 Blinding
3. 3.3 Control arms and comparators
4. 3.4 Superiority, equivalence and non-inferiority
1. 4.1 Eligibility criteria and recruitment
2. 4.2 Sample size and power
3. 4.3 Choosing outcomes that matter to patients
4. 4.4 Measurement tools and their validation
1. 5.1 The principles of research ethics
2. 5.2 Informed consent in practice
3. 5.3 Ethics approval, and amending a protocol
4. 5.4 Research involving vulnerable groups
1. 6.1 Protocol and standard operating procedures
2. 6.2 Data collection and source data
3. 6.3 Monitoring, safety reporting and stopping rules
4. 6.4 Trial management and keeping participants
1. 7.1 An analysis plan written in advance
2. 7.2 Intention to treat and per protocol
3. 7.3 Handling missing data
4. 7.4 Subgroups and multiplicity
1. 8.1 Reporting guidelines
2. 8.2 Registration and the duty to publish
3. 8.3 Data sharing and reproducibility
4. 8.4 Translating findings into practice

By the end of this course you will be able to explain and apply:

Two hours, not two months Eight short modules. Finish in a day, or do one module a night for a week.

Depth beyond your coursework Pitched above taught content, for research, leadership and the work that follows the degree.

Built for a phone Watch on the bus, pause mid-module, pick up where you stopped. No download, no lab.

A certificate that can be checked Every certificate carries an ID your college or an employer can verify on our site.

About two hours in total — eight modules of roughly fifteen minutes. You can do it in one sitting or spread it across a week. Your place is saved either way.
No. There is no prerequisite course and no software to install. A phone, tablet or computer with an internet connection is enough.
Yes. This course is placed at Master's Degree for India, and the content is written for that level. If you are at a different stage, change your level at the top of the page and the courses will change with it.
A certificate for the course, carrying an ID that your college or an employer can check on our verification page. You keep access to the material afterwards.
Yes — ₹450 for this course on its own, or ₹1,450 for all five in this set, which works out cheaper if you want more than one.
There is a short quiz at the end of each module so you can check what stuck. It is not timed and you can retake it.
Change your country using the picker at the top. Level names, degree names and prices all switch to that country, and the courses adjust to its education system.

Wording shown for India. Pick a different country at the top and the terms, currency and programme names change with it.