The Practice of Clinical Research

In this piece, Gordon Donaldson, who has been conducting field-based research for nearly four decades at Harvard Business School, discusses the practice of clinical research. He draws upon his long experience in carrying out this type of work and discusses * the role of clinical research, * the challenges of conducting clinical research, * how to maintain integrity of the research process, * how to mix subjective and objective evidence, * the role of peer review, * public and private companies as research subjects, and * the mechanics of carrying out a field research project (selecting the sites, making contact, and working through interviews.)