FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

1.	What is a clinical trial?
2.	What trials are included in the HAREC Clinical Trial Registry database?
3.	Are there charges for using the Registry database?
4.	How do I cite a clinical trial in the Registry database?
5.	Who is responsible for registering a trial?
6.	Which registers are acceptable?
7.	I am a researcher. When do I register a clinical trial?
8.	What information needs to be registered in the HAREC Registry?
9.	How do I contact HAREC Clinical Trial Registry for help?
1.	What is a clinical trial?
	For information about clinical trials, please refer to About Clinical Trials.
2.	What trials are included in the HAREC Clinical Trial Registry database?
	The HAREC Clinical Trial Registry includes clinical trials involving patients in Hong Kong and approved by the appropriate authority. Any such clinical trial can be registered with the HAREC Clinical Trial Registry.
3.	Are there charges for using the Registry database?
	No. The Registry is free for all to view and access.
4.	How do I cite a clinical trial in the Registry database?
	If you want to cite information from the Registry database in any publication or for distribution, please state the source of the data and the date accessed, in this format:
	Primary Sponsor; Secondary Sponsor(s). Public Title. In: HAREC Clinical Trial Registry [Internet]. Hong Kong: Hospital Authority; 2005- [cited date]. Available from: http://www.ekg.org.hk/HAREC-CTR/RegistryDisplay2.jsp?HARECID=HARECCTR0500123 Trial ID No.: HARECCTR0500123.
	[Note: The "cited date" is the date the record was accessed. Dates are in the format: YYYYMMMDD.]
	Example:
	Hospital Authority. The effects of Tai Chi on the prevention of falls in the elderly. In: HAREC Clinical Trial Registry [Internet]. Hong Kong: Hospital Authority; 2005- [cited 2005 Sep 7]. Available from: http://www.ekg.org.hk/HAREC-CTR/RegistryDisplay2.jsp?HARECID=HARECCTR0500123 Trial ID No.: HARECCTR0500123.
5.	Who is responsible for registering a trial?
	The "Responsible Registrant" for a trial is either the principal investigator (PI) or the co-investigators (CIs). The submitting party is responsible for the accuracy of the data as well as the completeness of the dataset, as required by ICMJE / WHO ICTRP at the time of submission. The Registry reserves the right to request additional data as required by WHO ICTRP or ICMJE from time to time.
	The submitting party is responsible to update the Registry with the following information:
	a.	Changes in the patient recruitment status;
	b.	Any changes in the trial information provided in this form;
	c.	Any condition leading to premature termination.
6.	Which registers are acceptable?
	ICMJE has recognized five Registries as of January 2006 and they are: ACTR (Australia), ClinicalTrials.gov (United States), ISRCTN (United Kingdom), UMIN-CTR (Japan), Nederlands Trial Register (Netherlands), and will review other Registries before their next annual meeting (anticipated to be around April 2007).
	WHO ICTRP plans to launch Member Register network in 1st Quarter, 2006. The Network composes of Member Registers and Associate Registers. Member Registers will mainly be national or regional registers, and Associate Registers may establish an Associate Membership agreement with a single Member Register to ensure that the trial is affiliated with only one Member Register.
7.	I am a researcher. When do I register a clinical trial?
	If investigators wish to publish their clinical trial results eventually in ICMJE member journals, they must register the trial at or before the onset of patient enrollment. This applies to any clinical trial starting enrollment after 1 July 2005.
	For trials that began enrollment before 1 July 2005, the ICMJE member journals will consider for publication only if the trial is adequately registered before journal submission.
8.	What information needs to be registered in the HAREC Registry?
	The HAREC Clinical Trial Registry contains the trial information that complies with international standard on trial registration being developed by the WHO International Committee on Trial Registration Platform (ICTRP) and ICMJE. Information kept in the Registry is intended to be kept permanently.
	For detail information, please refer to Information for Investigators
9.	How do I contact HAREC Clinical Trial Registry for help?
	Please email HAREC-CTR@ha.org.hk.
HAREC Clinical Trial Registry Administrator Last Update Date: 9 Feb 2012 Create Date: 31 August 2005