experiment-design

Randomized controlled trials require specifying your primary outcome, justifying sample size through power analysis, defining your randomization method, implementing blinding where feasible, and pre-registering your analysis plan. This Skill guides you through each element to meet NIH rigor standards and ensure internal validity.

Pre-registration documents your research question, hypotheses, study design choice (RCT, quasi-experimental, or observational), randomization and blinding procedures, primary and secondary outcomes, and your analysis plan before data collection. This Skill helps you structure these elements to reduce bias and improve reproducibility.

Study design choice depends on your research question, feasibility of randomization, and control requirements. RCTs provide strongest causal evidence; quasi-experimental designs apply when randomization isn't possible; observational designs suit exploratory research. This Skill walks you through design options and trade-offs to select the best fit.

Power analysis specifies your effect size, significance level, desired statistical power, and sample size needed to detect your hypothesized effect. This Skill helps you justify these parameters and document them in your study protocol to meet reproducibility standards.

Yes. This Skill is designed for grant development, institutional review, and NIH-aligned submissions. It ensures your proposed study includes justified design choices, randomization strategy, blinding procedures, clearly defined outcomes, and pre-specified analysis—all required by funding agencies.

Blinding (participant, researcher, or analyst) prevents knowledge of group assignment from influencing outcomes or analysis, reducing detection and performance bias. This Skill guides you in specifying which blinding layers are feasible and appropriate for your study design.