Objectives: The purpose of this workshop is to provide Trials Search Co-ordinators (TSCs) and handsearchers with the knowledge, skills and tools that they will need to successfully identify potential controlled trial reports:

1. Understand the rationale for creating and building the Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
2. Be able to identify study reports that are eligible for inclusion in CENTRAL
3. Be able to classify eligible study reports as either randomized controlled trials (RCT) or controlled clinical trials (CCT)

Description: Currently hundreds of handsearchers around the world are identifying controlled trial reports from journals, conference proceedings, and other sources. Learning to differentiate RCTs, CCTs, and non-trials in published reports and abstracts is not always easy. This handsearch training workshop will first review the criteria for RCTs and CCTs, then use MEDLINE abstracts of trial and non-trial reports to demonstrate areas where there is confusion about study design classification, and to help explain where relevant information was described in the abstract.

Target Audience: TSCs, RGCs and handsearchers who have previous experience in identifying and classifying trial reports. The workshop will provide new examples and updated materials for participants who have attended previous versions of the workshop.

Style: Training and discussion workshop