A research nurse in conversation with a participant

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Volunteering in a study, explained properly

No jargon and no persuasion — just what actually happens, what is asked of you, and what you are entitled to at every stage.

The basics

If you have ever taken a medicine, someone volunteered first

Every prescription and over-the-counter medicine in your cupboard exists because thousands of people agreed to test it before you needed it.

A clinical research study evaluates an investigational treatment in human volunteers to answer specific questions: does it work, how safely, at what dose, and for which patients. Studies run in phases, each answering a narrower question than the last, and each requiring approval from an independent ethics committee before it can begin.

When you take part with us, you are looked after by a study team whose job is to make the process comprehensible and unhurried. You will see an investigator — a qualified doctor — for health assessments, physical examinations, laboratory tests and any other procedures the protocol requires. Your coordinator is a named person you can reach directly, not a call centre.

It should feel like being cared for, because that is what it is.

You decide

Investigator explaining a study to a volunteer

Research nurse taking a blood pressure reading

Step by step

What taking part actually involves

Seven stages, from the first phone call to the last follow-up. You can stop at any one of them.

Pre-screening

A short conversation, usually by phone, about the study and your medical history. Nothing is committed to at this stage — it exists to save you a wasted journey.

Informed consent

You are given the participant information sheet to take home and read. When you are ready, an investigator talks you through your rights and obligations, answers every question, and only then asks you to sign. You may withdraw that consent at any point afterwards.

Screening visit

A fuller assessment at the site — physical examination, bloods, and any tests the protocol requires — to confirm you meet the study criteria. Not everyone does, and that is a normal outcome, not a failure.

Enrolment & randomisation

If you are eligible and still want to proceed, you are enrolled and assigned to a treatment arm. In many studies this is done at random and may include a placebo. You will be told exactly how this works before you consent.

Study visits

These may be days, weeks or months apart depending on the protocol. You will be given the full schedule in advance, and your coordinator will remind you before each one. Reasonable travel costs are reimbursed.

Follow-up period

After your final dose, we check in — by phone or in person — to see how you are doing. This period is part of the science, not an afterthought, and matters as much as the treatment phase.

Study completion

Your participation ends. Where the sponsor permits it, we write to tell you what the study found. You do not disappear from our records unless you ask to.

Your rights

Six things no study can take from you

To leave at any time

Without giving a reason, and without any effect on your usual care.

To ask anything

As many times as you need, until the answer makes sense to you.

To take the information home

And discuss it with family, your GP, or anyone else before deciding.

To be told of new risks

If safety information emerges mid-study, you are informed and may re-consent.

To privacy

Your identity is not shared with the sponsor. You are a number to them, a person to us.

To complain

To us, to the ethics committee, or to the regulator — and to be taken seriously.

Common questions

The questions people actually ask us

It depends on the study, and anyone who tells you otherwise is overselling it. Every reasonable effort is made to protect participants: the same ethical and legal duties that govern ordinary medical practice apply to clinical trials, protocols are reviewed by an independent ethics committee or IRB before approval, and safety data is monitored continuously throughout. That said, clinical trials involve investigational products which may be ineffective or cause side effects that are not yet fully characterised. The informed consent process exists so that you understand those risks specifically, for the specific study, before you decide.

Possibly. Many studies compare an investigational treatment against a placebo or against an existing standard treatment, and assignment is usually random. If placebo is a possibility in a study you are considering, you will be told so plainly during consent, along with the likelihood of receiving it. In most trials you would continue any existing prescribed medication unless the protocol specifically says otherwise — this is always discussed with you first.

No. Study-related assessments, investigational product and study visits are provided at no cost to you. We also reimburse reasonable travel expenses, and some studies offer payment for time and inconvenience. Any payment is stated up front and is never structured to pressure you into continuing.

Yes, at any time, without giving a reason. Withdrawing from a study will not affect your relationship with your GP, your consultant, or any care you receive elsewhere. We will normally ask whether we may keep the data already collected, and you can say no to that too.

Your identifiable details stay with the site. Data shared with the sponsor is coded — you are identified by a participant number, not your name. UK participants are covered by UK GDPR and US participants by HIPAA, with data held in the region where it was collected. The full detail is in our privacy policy and in the study-specific information sheet.

With your permission, yes — we normally write to your GP or primary physician to let them know you are taking part, which helps them avoid prescribing anything that might interact with the study treatment. If you would rather we did not, tell us, and we will discuss the implications with you.

Ask us something else

Thinking about taking part in a study?

Volunteers learn more about their own condition, gain early access to investigational treatments, and move medicine forward for everyone who comes next. Every visit is supervised by a qualified investigator, and you can withdraw at any point.