What researchers and study teams need to know about StudyFinder
StudyFinder displays data about actively enrolling studies at the University of Minnesota and M Health Fairview in a way that is intuitive and user-friendly. This information is extracted nightly from OnCore and ClinicalTrials.gov, and ETHOS.
To help potential participants navigate and connect with research opportunities, we encourage you to review your studies periodically to ensure information is up to date.
Potential participants may email you via StudyFinder to inquire about a study. Study teams should work directly with these potential participants, and reach out to the StudyFinder team with any questions.
How to update your study
Study information is sourced from OnCore, ClinicalTrials.gov, and ETHOS. To update your study’s information on StudyFinder, please see below.
Update OnCore
- Study contact: Name and email address of someone who is a suitable person for potential participants to contact via email. By default, StudyFinder will display to “Public Contact” information.
- Protocol status: Must be “Open to Accrual” to appear on StudyFinder.
- In the annotation section of OnCore, you can update visibility, search categories, keywords, and key eligibility.
Note: If your study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and the NCT# is in your OnCore record, OnCore annotation fields for StudyFinder are not required. If you choose to use these fields for your StudyFinder listing, OnCore annotations will replace the data coming from ClinicalTrials.gov
Update ETHOS
- Study description: A brief description of your study is populated by item #3 of the ETHOS smartform. Your brief description should be easily understood by a layperson. We recommend limiting the description to 500 characters or less.
- If you would like to change the brief description, please submit a modification to the IRB.
Update ClinicalTrials.gov
For assistance accessing your ClinicalTrials.gov account and navigating the website, contact the ClinicalTrials.gov Specialist at ctgovumn@umn.edu. You can also refer to these ClinicalTrials.gov tutorials for updating study information.
Customizing your study landing page
- Study webpage: A link to your study webpage or website. This must be approved by the IRB.
- Study landing page image: An image to be featured on your study’s StudyFinder landing page. The default image on your page may be replaced with a custom image that is approved by the IRB.
Common reasons why a study is not displaying on StudyFinder
- Study is not registered with ClinicalTrials.gov or OnCore.
- Study status is not listed as Recruiting/Open to Accrual on ClinicalTrials.gov or OnCore.
- Double-check the StudyFinder annotation in OnCore to confirm “yes” is selected for the “Display on StudyFinder” question.
My study is duplicated on StudyFinder
- StudyFinder pulls data from ClinicalTrials.gov and OnCore. In order to link the study data from these two systems, it relies on the NCT number being entered into OnCore. If your study is showing up twice in StudyFinder, double-check that the NCT number is correctly entered into OnCore.
Need more help?
For more detailed information on how to include your study on StudyFinder, view our self-help guide. If you have questions or comments, or need assistance updating your study information, please contact us at sfinder@umn.edu.