Tips for Searching

If you know which of the Registered CTUs you are seeking information for

You can go straight to the details about the CTU you are seeking information for using the alphabetical list of UKCRC Registered CTUs on the main Resource Finder page. Click on the relevant CTU's link to go to the detailed section for that CTU which includes contact information, information about the CTU's disease and methodological research interests, experience in different types of study, and potential scope for collaboration.

If you are seeking information about CTUs within a particular geographical region in the UK

You can view all UKCRC Registered CTUs within UK geographical regions by clicking on the list of regional links displayed in the menu on the left of this page, or by clicking on the relevant region on the UK map on the main Resource Finder page.

If you are seeking more specific information about the research interests, experience, and services of UKCRC Registered CTUs

The Detailed Search page allows you to search the UKCRC Registered CTUs using eight search fields. The most common search fields are shown automatically on the Detailed Search page. These are:

• Disease/health research interest (e.g. diabetes, cancer, musculoskeletal)
• Methodological research interest (e.g. biomarkers, qualitative research, meta-analyses)
• Study type experience (e.g. epidemiology, surgery, feasibility)

Tip: Definitions for the categories included in the Methodological research interest and Study type experience lists can be found in the Glossary of Search Terms.

You can also search using the following additional search fields:

• CTU Director Name
• Registration Status (i.e. full or provisional)
• Experience of Conducting Industry Collaborative Trials
• Experience of Applying to Funders (e.g. NIHR programmes, Cancer Research UK)
• Randomisation Systems Available (e.g. telephone-based, 24 hr web-based)

To add these additional fields, click on the [Add New Search Field] button. A new list of fields will appear from which you can select the fields you wish to add to your search.

Refine your search using multiple search criteria

You can use more than one search field to increase the specificity of your search and you can also select multiple criteria in each field by holding down the Ctrl key whilst you select criteria from the relevant list. For example, to search for CTUs with an interest in stroke AND cardiovascular research AND experience in surgery studies AND with 24 hr web-based randomisation, choose the following criteria:

• From the Select a disease or health area list, choose "Stroke" and "Cardiovascular" (hold down the Ctrl key to select both criteria)
• From the Select a type of study list, choose "Surgery"
• From the Randomisation Systems Available list, choose "24 hr web-based"

Modify your most recent Search criteria

The criteria of your most recent search are listed on the right of your search results page. You can modify these by clicking on the [Refine Search] button located below your search results. This allows you to go back to the Detailed Search page and modify the criteria applied to your search without the need to start over.
Tip: To de-select a criterion already selected in the search fields, hold the Ctrl key down whilst clicking on the criteria you wish to de-select. You can also remove additional search fields by clicking on the [Remove] button on the left hand side of the field list.

Start a new Search

To begin a brand new search, click on the [Reset Search] button at the bottom of the Detailed Search page. This will clear all previous search criteria.