Use when
- Operators handle, score, annotate, exclude, or analyze data.
- The endpoint includes manual scoring or ambiguous response boundaries.
- Group labels could affect interpretation or downstream decisions.
Study Designs
Study design
Blinding
Blinding prevents knowledge of group, condition, or expected outcome from influencing handling, scoring, analysis, or interpretation.
Decision summary
Use blinding wherever subjective scoring, handling, exclusions, or analysis choices could be influenced by group knowledge. State exactly who was blinded and at which steps.
| Blinded role | Handler, scorer, analyst, adjudicator, or interpreter. |
|---|---|
| Blinded step | Enrollment, procedure, scoring, exclusion, analysis, or reporting. |
| Break point | When and why group identity was revealed. |
| Audit field | Coding scheme, access controls, and unblinding log. |
Do not use when
- Blinding is claimed globally without identifying the blinded role or study step.
- Visible treatment effects, file names, colors, or session order reveal group identity.
Caveats
- Automated tracking reduces some observer bias but does not blind analysis choices.
- Blinding can fail through file names, colors, cage order, or visible phenotype.
- A blinded scorer still needs predefined endpoint rules.
Reporting checklist
- State who was blinded and to what information.
- Report which steps were blinded and which were not.
- Describe coding or masking procedures.
- Report when unblinding occurred.
- Report any accidental unblinding or visible group cues.
References
Related surfaces
Use these related surfaces to move from the scientific method question to the relevant product page, endpoint definition, analysis tool, or adjacent guide.
