Clinical trials help determine the safety and effectiveness of treatments in humans. A research plan, also called a protocol, is created before the trial starts. The protocol describes who can join the trial, what treatments the participants will receive, what questions the researchers will seek to answer, how long the trial will last, and how participant privacy and safety will be protected during the trial. A clinical trial may compare a new treatment to a standard treatment option that is already available, to a placebo (an identical-looking treatment with no active ingredient), or to no intervention at all. Participation in a clinical trial is voluntary. Trial participants should have the intention to complete the trial. Before you decide to join a clinical trial, the trial team will explain all of the trial details.