Making the results of research studies public, builds trust and accountability, ensures that participants are protected from unnecessary studies and research funding maximised. When research is carried out openly and transparently, everyone will be able to see what research is happening and the outcomes from finished studies.
Other than research for educational purposes and early phase trials, the findings, whether positive, negative, neutral or inconclusive should be made accessible in a timely manner after they have finished.
Where applicable, people who have taken part in a research project should be thanked for their contribution and told about what it helped the researchers find out.
Where the main findings are also to be submitted for publication in a journal, this should be done within 12 months of study completion, to be published through an open-access mechanism in a peer-reviewed journal.
Read our guidance on publishing results of research
Visit our research transparency section for guidance on all aspects of research transparency, including details on publishing your research findings and submitting your final report.
Publication of clinical trial results
From 28 April 2026, sponsors of clinical trials of investigational medicinal products (CTIMPs) must publish a summary of results within 12 months of the global end of the trial. The only exception is if sponsors have a deferral or waiver.
You must publish your summary results within these timeframes in the public register (or registers) where you have registered your clinical trial.
This 12 month timeframe also applies to paediatric CTIMPs.
Although the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 requires sponsors to publish a summary of results for their trial, there is not a legislative requirement to publish interim results for the trial.
Which trials this requirement applies to
If a sponsor submitted an application for clinical trial authorisation and an ethics committee opinion for a CTIMP before 28 April 2026 and its end of trial date was before this date, this requirement does not apply. However, it’s still considered best practice to publish trial results.
If a sponsor submits a CTIMP application from 28 April 2026, or it’s submitted before then but its end date is after 28 April 2026, the sponsor must publish a summary of the trial results. An exception to this is if the trial does not recruit any participants in the UK within 2 years and the approval lapses. In this case, the sponsor is not expected to publish summary results for the trial.
Informing participants
It is good practice to disseminate the results of research to research participants and other interested groups or communities. Providing participants with a summary of the findings acknowledges and appropriately respects the contribution they have made. See guidance on writing a plain language (lay) summary of your research findings. Information about the publication and dissemination arrangements should be included in the participant information sheet.
Involving patients or other people with relevant experience at an early stage in your planning will help you to provide feedback and dissemination of the study results in a user-friendly way which is accessible to multiple audiences.
We are committed to supporting and encouraging researchers to involve patients and the public in their work at the earliest opportunity. See our public involvement pages for more information on how public involvement can improve the quality and relevance of your research.