Mahmood Ahmad
Tahir Heart Institute
author@example.com

Protocol: CT.gov Black-Box Trials

This protocol defines a black-box trial as an eligible older closed interventional ClinicalTrials.gov study with a two-year results gap, no linked publication reference, and no detailed description. Primary outputs compare black-box stock and rate across sponsor classes, country-linked portfolios, and condition families, alongside the broader ghost-protocol context. The aim is to isolate a stricter silence state than ordinary missing-results status. Because the definition is registry-based, black-box status measures missing visible disclosure on CT.gov rather than any definitive absence of documentation or external reporting elsewhere.

Outside Notes

Type: protocol
Primary estimand: Black-box trial stock and rate among eligible older CT.gov studies
App: CT.gov Black-Box Trials dashboard
Code: https://github.com/mahmood726-cyber/ctgov-black-box-trials
Date: 2026-03-29
Validation: FULL REGISTRY RUN

References

1. ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. National Library of Medicine. Accessed March 29, 2026.
2. DeVito NJ, Bacon S, Goldacre B. Compliance with legal requirement to report clinical trial results on ClinicalTrials.gov: a cohort study. Lancet. 2020;395(10221):361-369.
3. Zarin DA, Tse T, Williams RJ, Carr S. Trial reporting in ClinicalTrials.gov. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(20):1998-2004.

AI Disclosure

This work represents a compiler-generated evidence micro-publication built from structured registry data and deterministic summary code. AI was used as a constrained coding and drafting assistant for interface generation, packaging, and prose refinement, not as an autonomous author. The analytical choices, interpretation, and final outputs were reviewed by the author, who takes responsibility for the content.