01 • Bottom line
A registry record describes the submitted plan and its updates.
A study record can show the sponsor, design, participants, intervention, planned outcomes, dates, and recruitment status. Check when it was first registered and open Record History, because some records are registered or changed after a study begins. Until results are posted or published, the record cannot tell you what happened.
“Registered,” “Recruiting,” and “Completed” do not mean “worked.”
02 • Three separate records
Plan, result, and paper are different layers.
Registry entry
The submitted study plan and its update history. Use it to see what investigators said they would measure and when.
Posted summary results
Structured group-level data such as participant flow, baseline measures, outcomes, and adverse events when supplied and posted.
Journal article or preprint
A narrative analysis that may provide more methods and interpretation. Check whether it matches the NCT number, population, outcomes, and dates—and whether it is a peer-reviewed paper or a preprint.
03 • Status words
Recruitment status describes the study’s lifecycle.
“Recruiting” means the study is seeking participants. “Active, not recruiting” means the study continues without enrolling new participants. “Completed” means the study ended normally. Other labels can show that it was suspended, terminated early, or withdrawn.
None of those labels reports whether an intervention helped, harmed, or made no difference. Open the results tab and linked publications.
04 • Results labels
Submitted is not the same as posted.
- No Results Posted: the public record does not contain posted summary results.
- Results Submitted: the sponsor or investigator sent summary results, but the submission has not yet completed the posting process.
- Results Posted: structured summary results are publicly available in the record. Posted does not mean peer reviewed.
- Publications: linked papers may add detail, but confirm that each paper reports the same study and outcome. A preprint may not have undergone peer review.
05 • The five-click check
Follow the record before repeating the claim.
- Copy the NCT number so you can match the exact study across pages and papers.
- Read recruitment status, enrollment, study type, phase, primary completion date, first registration date, and Record History.
- Open the outcome measures and note what the primary outcome was supposed to be.
- Check whether summary results are posted, then read participant flow, outcome data, and adverse events.
- Open linked publications and compare the population, intervention, timeframe, and reported outcome with the registry.
06 • Important limits
Missing results need a careful description.
“No Results Posted” means no summary results are posted in that record. It does not, by itself, prove the study failed, succeeded, was abandoned, or violated a reporting law. Requirements and deadlines depend on the study and may include exceptions or extensions.
Study information is submitted by sponsors and investigators. ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry and results database; being listed there does not mean the U.S. government reviewed or approved the safety and science of every study.
07 • Sources
Read the registry’s own guidance.
Sources last reviewed August 17, 2026. Reporting requirements and record labels can change; use the current ClinicalTrials.gov guidance.