ABOUT THE randomisation service
What is the Griffith Randomisation Service?
The Griffith Randomisation Service provides automated centralised randomisation for research studies, overseen by experienced statisticians, researchers, and with the support of Griffith Information Services. The randomisation service is available for University trialists working in the academic, healthcare and industry sectors.
An automated 24-hour randomisation service is available for investigators to use via a web portal anywhere in the world.
How can I use the Randomisation Service?
Please contact us to get a quote, agree on terms and set up your trial. You will be given access to a training environment (website) to become familiar with how to perform randomisation and test your settings. Once you are ready to proceed, your trial will be set up on the live website, ready for you to randomise participants.
To access our service, each user will require a valid account with LinkedIn, Google or an Australian Academic Institution for authentication.
How much does it cost to use the Service?
For a tailored quote to suit your specific trial, please get in touch. Factors influencing price include:
- Student-led trials
- Unfunded/funded status
- Sample size
- Number of recruitment sites
- Number of users
- Length of trial
- Treatment pack management
- Extensive statistician involvement
- Repeat users
Is this service secure?
The Randomisation Service been designed to meet relevant international standards and meets all encryption and information requirements. The service is further supported by Griffith University Digital Solutions eResearch Services Unit.
Why does the Randomisation require me to use an individual login?
In order for Griffith University to maintain its high standards in cybersecurity, all users of the Randomisation Service need to log in using an individual login. This ensures that all actions performed can be logged and any issues can be resolved more quickly. The Randomisation service offers multiple ways for you to authenticate (Griffith University Single Sign-on, AAF (Australian Access Federation), LinkedIn & Gmail with other services becoming available in the future.
Why should I use this service to generate the randomisation sequence – why not use excel or an online generator?
Centralised randomisation (independent of the researchers), bias removed, allocation concealment maintained, secure randomly computer-generated allocations, audit trail for randomisations.
Why do I need to contact the service for each randomisation – why can’t I use envelopes instead?
Generating each randomisation at the time it is assigned will ensure there are no issues with allocation concealment (researchers cannot predict future allocations).
What types of randomisation do you offer?
Parallel, Cluster, Crossover and Factorial.
How do I know which type of randomisation I want?
The type of randomisation you chose will depend on your study design.
What is stratification and how do I know if I want it?
Stratification is the process of dividing potential participants into mutually exclusive subgroups before randomising. It ensures that, within each stratum, allocation will be balanced.
What is blocking and how do I know if I want it?
Blocking is the process of dividing potential participants into mutually exclusive subgroups based on the order they are randomised. It ensures that, within each block, allocation will be balanced.
I want to use study/medication packs. How is that going to link to the randomisation?
You will need to supply some information about your study packs (we will advise), this will be uploaded to your trial on the system, for issuing with allocations.
Can I have some members of the research team masked, and others not masked?
Yes, blinding is set up via the user, not the trial.
Can I randomise more participants than I first nominated?
Yes, the system will allow you to continue randomising, using the same trial set up methods/conditions. The Randomisation Service will be in contact with you to discuss an extension or finalisation of trial. *There may be an additional charge.
Can I see which member of the research team actually conducted the randomisation?
Yes, you can run a “long report” which will contain this information.
What do I do if I accidentally randomised a participant? Or the entered the wrong details for the participant?
A randomisation cannot be “undone”. Flag the participant and include a comment to explain.
I forgot my password or log in, how do I reset it?
Refer to your authentication provider.
What sort of backup system do you have for the Randomisation Service?
The Randomisation Service and trials on the system are backed up across multiple servers, located at different Griffith University sites.
If I am a member of the research team masked to group allocations, and need to reveal a participants’ details in an emergency, how do I do this?
Contact your Level 3 Trial Administrator user who has the ability to reveal the Participant ID.
Can I get a summary report at the end of my trial?
Yes, there are two options available – a long report is that includes most of the trial set up fields/data. Alternatively, a short report includes a cut-down version containing less detail.
How can I ensure a high-quality trial that provides accurate results and will be reviewed favourably by journal editors?
A high-quality trial that will be reviewed favourably by journal editors can be achieved using our revised tool to assess the risk of bias in randomised trials (RoB 2) released in March 2021.