In June 2023, the modernized version of ClinicalTrials.gov will become the primary site. This is a multi-year effort to modernize ClinicalTrials.gov to deliver an improved user experience on an updated platform that will accommodate future growth and enhance efficiency. In response to your feedback, the updated website includes a modern look and feel as well as improved functionality for searching, viewing, and downloading information about clinical studies.
Changes Across the Website
The new ClinicalTrials.gov website has a streamlined design with a color scheme and layout that is visually appealing, easy to read, and based on the U.S. Web Design System – consistent with other federal government websites. We’ve improved navigation with simple web components, such as left-side menus and expandable accordions, so you can quickly locate information. We’ve also added more plain language guidance and educational content. In addition, ClinicalTrials.gov has been optimized for mobile devices, so you can access this resource anytime from anywhere.
Image 1: Homepage showing new “Search” features.
Highlights of the Modernized Website
We’ve introduced a new search experience that combines and replaces the basic and advanced search from the former ClinicalTrials.gov. The new search uses a cloud-based infrastructure with a search engine that analyzes large amounts of data very quickly and provides fast search-response times. A location-based API has been integrated into the website, allowing you to find studies taking place near your current location, at a specific address or in a specific country. Advanced filters (now called More filters) such as study type and eligibility criteria can be easily applied on either the homepage or the search results page.
Image 2: Search showing the “More Filters” section.
The search results page has been redesigned so you can see search results in either a card view or table view. The card view provides an overview of each clinical study, displaying the brief study title, recruiting status, conditions being studied, and study locations. The table view allows you to organize the list of studies by showing, hiding, or reordering columns. You can narrow your searches using the list of all available search filters, clearly visible on the left side of the page, and download results in a variety of formats from either the card or table view.
Image 3: “Search Results” page showing card view and additional filters.
Each study record page has improved navigation, collapsible sections, and an integrated API-based map that helps you see the locations for each study. The table view has been purposely re-organized to support your needs. The Record History tab (previously the History of Changes) clearly shows the changes made to a study record over time. We’ve organized the information on the Results tab into interactive tables with a left-side menu for easier navigation.
Image 4: “Study Overview” record page showing tabs. Important Note: changes to this page coming soon!
What Happens Next
The modernized ClinicalTrials.gov will become the primary website in June. To give you time to adapt to the modernized site and to minimize disruptions, the former version of ClinicalTrials.gov will remain available for a limited time. We will keep you updated on the specific timeline and continue to share updates on the modernization effort’s overall progress.
We want to hear from you!
If you haven’t already, try out the new site and let us know what you think. We encourage you to submit comments and suggestions using the yellow feedback button on the bottom right of the page.
Stay up to date
Follow us on Twitter @NCBI and join our mailing list to keep up to date with ClinicalTrials.gov and other NCBI news.
Questions?
For questions about the transition to the modernized ClinicalTrials.gov, check out our FAQs document or reach out to us at info@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.