Designing Randomised Trials in Health, Education and the Social Sciences

The book focuses on the design of rigorous trials rather than their statistical underpinnings, with chapters on: pragmatic designs; placebo designs; preference approaches; unequal allocation; economics; analytical approaches; randomization methods. It also includes a detailed description of randomization procedures and different trial designs.

Preface Acknowledgements Glossary of Terms Background to Controlled Trials The Limitations of Before and After Designs History of Controlled Trials What is Special about Randomisation? Sources of Bias in Randomised Trials Placebo and Sham Trials Pragmatic and Explanatory Trials Designs to Deal with Participants' Preferences Cluster Randomised Controlled Trials Unequal Randomisation Factorial Randomised Controlled Trials Pilot Randomised Controlled Trials Sample Size and Analytical Issues Measuring Outcomes Recruitment into Randomised Trials Systematic Reviews of Randomised Controlled Trials Economic Evaluation Alongside Randomised Trials Conclusions References Index