What is a control group?

This short video is part of a series explaining key aspects of clinical research to the general population. It discusses the purpose of control groups in studies.

At times, interested research volunteers may have concerns about being assigned to a control group. Clinical research coordinators and other research staff may use this video to address those concerns.

This video is brought to you by the Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI) at the University of California, San Diego. The CTRI is an NIH (NCATS) funded CTSA with the mission of helping to translate scientific discoveries into improved health. A closed caption version is available at    • What is a control group?  .