Mahmood Ahmad
Tahir Heart Institute
author@example.com

Protocol: CT.gov Publication Index Gap

This protocol re-audits the existing sponsor-class-stratified sample of older ClinicalTrials.gov studies with no linked publication reference. The audit compares PubMed exact-ID matches with Europe PMC exact-ID matches, then separates total external-any-match rescue, non-MED rescue, and publication-only visibility not exposed on the CT.gov record. Primary outputs report weighted rescue contributions overall and sponsor-class-specific external visibility rates across the sampled no-link portfolio. The aim is to distinguish true publication silence from indexing and linkage gaps that remain invisible to CT.gov readers.

Outside Notes

Type: protocol
Primary estimand: Weighted exact-ID external publication rescue among older CT.gov no-link studies
App: CT.gov Publication Index Gap dashboard
Code: https://github.com/mahmood726-cyber/ctgov-publication-index-gap
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.