Search Tips

• Keyword Word Order - To help manage your results remember to specify the category of your keyword search as: “Any of these words”, “All of these words”, or “This exact phrase”. The “This exact phrase” option will usually give you more specific results than the “Any of these words” option.
  
  
• Choose Words Carefully - More general terms will generate a larger number of results, so try to narrow your search if you are getting an unmanageable amount of results. If you are receiving a limited number of results, try to broaden your search category by using a more general search. You can limit or broaden your search by selecting either more specific or general terms, changing the Keyword Inclusion Options (“any of these words”, “all of these words” or “this exact phrase”) or by using the Advanced Search section.
  • For example:
    • If you are not finding results when searching with the keyword “Cold Sore” try using other terms related to the condition such as “Herpes Simplex” or “Blister”.
    • If you cannot find anything searching with “Whooping Cough” try a broader category of “Respiratory Diseases”.
    • If you have too many results when searching with the keyword “Cancers” try to narrow your search with the specific type of cancer.
  
  
• Abbreviations vs. Full Text- Search using both abbreviations or acronyms as well as the full text terms for your subject.
  • For example: Search for both “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” and “HIV”, or “TB” and “Tuberculosis”.
    
    
• Capitalization- SearchClinicalTrials.org is NOT case sensitive.
  • For example: Searching “back injuries”, “Back Injuries”, and “BACK INJURIES” will all return the same results.
    
    
• Advanced Search- Remember to also choose your wording carefully within the Advanced Search section. Once again if you are getting too many results, make your search limitations more specific. If you aren’t getting enough results than use broader search terms.
  • For example: If you are not getting any results for Trial Listings within 5 miles of the zip code 02114 try widening the results’ radius or search within the entire state of Massachusetts.