Random assignment: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:46, 5 June 2016

Revision as of 21:25, 6 January 2017

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Random assignment, [[blind experiment|blinding]], and [[scientific control|controlling]] are key aspects of the [[design of experiments]], because they help ensure that the results are not spurious or deceptive via [[confounding]]. This is why [[randomized controlled trial]]s are vital in [[clinical research]], especially ones that can be [[double-blinded]] and [[placebo-controlled]].

Mathematically, there are distinctions between randomization, [[pseudorandomness|pseudorandomization]], and [[low-discrepancy sequence|quasirandomization]], as well as between [[random number generation|random number generators]] and [[pseudorandom number generator]]s. How much these differences matter in experiments (such as [[clinical trial]]s) is a matter of [[design of experiments|trial design]] and [[statistics|statistical]] rigor, which affect [[levels of evidence|evidence grading]]. Studies done without randomization include [[quasi-experiment]]s and [[open-label trial]]s; those done with pseudo- or quasirandomization are usually given nearly the same weight as those with true randomization but are viewed with a bit more caution.

==Benefits of random assignment==