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    When you become an ACRP member, you’re joining a network with a global reach—and so much more. Our member community of 17,000 clinical research professionals look to us for gold-standard education, rigorous certification, and indispensable connections. ​

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    For organizations who want to provide their clinical study teams with continuous, ongoing education and professional development resources, Organization Membership is a turnkey and scalable solution.

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    ACRP is committed to being a trusted source for all professionals whose roles involve conducting and leading clinical research. Access the most accurate and up-to-date information related to clinical research guidelines and regulations.

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    ACRP Certification Milestone Achievers

    ACRP honors the 2023 Certification Milestone Achievers, an exclusive group of nearly 1,700 professionals who have consistently proven their commitment to conducting clinical trials safely, ethically, and to the highest standard.

    Learn More

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    • Getting Started in Clinical Research
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    Boost Your Prospects with ACRP Certification

    ACRP Certified professionals say their achievement results in increased job responsibility, more employment and advancement opportunities, and recognition—including promotions, bonuses, and salary increases.

    Learn More

    Getting Started in Clinical Research

    Interested in a career in clinical research? You’re in the right place! Explore career options, resources, and more to help you find your first opportunity in clinical research.

    Learn More

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    Clinical Researcher—October 2024

    As project scopes and protocol complexities continue to grow, trial-related technologies emerge and mature, and new areas of specialization in the clinical research enterprise drive workforce evolution, contributors to this issue invite you to study the theme of “Always be Curious, Never Stop Learning”—focusing on critical facets of ongoing education, training, and research regulation and management so that you can stay ahead of the curve in an ever-changing environment for drug and device development.

    Read October 2024 Issue

    View Archives

    New! DCT Perspectives White Paper

     

     

     

     

     

    This new white paper examines recent work by ACRP and its members to build awareness of the need for a new budget model for sites and to leverage the adoption of DCT elements to improve how sites are supported in their critical contribution to drug development.

    Learn More

  • Events

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    Upcoming Events

    • RTP Chapter: End of 2024 Celebration and 2025 Planning Session

      December 9, 2024

    • Enhancing Clinical Trial Diversity: Strategies for Inclusive Patient Engagement

      December 11, 2024

    • Virginia Chapter: ICH GCP E6 (R3) Overview of Changes & Hot Topics for Compliance

      December 11, 2024

    View All Events

    Discounted Rates for ACRP 2025

    ACRP members save $200 on their ACRP 2025 registration—or $400 when a pre-conference workshop is also selected. With a low membership fee of $160/year, you’ll immediately recoup your investment when you register for the conference.

    ACRP Membership

    Conference Registration

  • Employer Resources

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    Advancing People Advancing Health™

    Through our gold-standard education, the most rigorous certification process in the industry, and strong comment connections – ACRP prepares clinical research professionals to be the study team members employers can trust to get it right.

    Learn More

    New! Organization Membership

    For organizations who want to provide their clinical study teams with continuous, ongoing education and professional development resources, Organization Membership is a turnkey and scalable solution.

    Learn More

ACRP Learning Update

ACRP is happy to announce forthcoming updates to several courses in the ACRP catalog.

Learn More

Exploratory Research

Posted November 23, 2024 by Wendy Farmer.

MRCT – A process to find facts that can guide the design of future studies. https://mrctcenter.org/glossaryterm/exploratory-research/

Back to Glossary Index Page

Recent Posts

  • Learning from Your Mistakes: Keeping Sites from Repeatedly Tripping Over the Same Noncompliance Issues
  • ACRP Partners with ScienceMedia to Bring Disease-Specific Training to Clinical Research Sites
  • ACRP Advocates for Clinical Researcher Occupation Code
  • Shedding Some Daylight on the Murky World of Patient Recruitment Advertising Practices
  • New Informed Consent Expectations Should Aid Participants’ Understanding, May Catch Professionals Off Guard

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    Registration Pricing and Details Available  July 20, 2020.

    With more than 16,500 members, the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) is the only non-profit solely dedicated to representing, supporting, and advocating for clinical research professionals. ACRP supports individuals and life science organizations globally by providing community, education, and credentialing programs. Founded in 1976, ACRP is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to promote excellence in clinical research and whose vision is that clinical research is performed ethically, responsibly, and professionally everywhere in the world.

    CONTACT US >     FAQs >     JOIN OUR MAILING LIST >

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    • Membership

      In this Section

      • Member Benefits
      • Renew Membership
      • Local Chapters
      • Volunteer Opportunities
      • ACRP Community
      • Member Directory
      • Discussion Groups

      Advance Yourself

      When you become an ACRP member, you’re joining a network with a global reach—and so much more. Our member community of 17,000 clinical research professionals look to us for gold-standard education, rigorous certification, and indispensable connections. ​

      Membership Benefits

      Organization Membership

      For organizations who want to provide their clinical study teams with continuous, ongoing education and professional development resources, Organization Membership is a turnkey and scalable solution.

      Organization Membership

    • Learning

      In this Section

      • Course Catalog
      • My Courses
      • Home Study
      • Competency Guidelines
      • Clinical Research Glossary

      Popular Training Courses

      Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Simulation

      Understanding Clinical Trial Protocols

      Building Quality Management Systems

      Site Quality Management Tools

      Guidelines and Regulations Resource Center

      ACRP is committed to being a trusted source for all professionals whose roles involve conducting and leading clinical research. Access the most accurate and up-to-date information related to clinical research guidelines and regulations.

      Explore Resources

    • Certification

      In this Section

      • Benefits of Certification
      • Exam Preparation
      • Maintain Certification
      • The Academy
      • Verify ACRP Certification
      • How Certification Exams Are Developed

      Our Programs

      • ACRP-CP® Certification
      • CCRC® Certification
      • CCRA® Certification
      • CPI® Certification
      • ACRP-MDP® Specialty
      • ACRP-PM® Specialty

      ACRP Certification Milestone Achievers

      ACRP honors the 2023 Certification Milestone Achievers, an exclusive group of nearly 1,700 professionals who have consistently proven their commitment to conducting clinical trials safely, ethically, and to the highest standard.

      Learn More

    • Careers

      In this Section

      • Getting Started in Clinical Research
      • Competency Guides
      • Find a Job
      • Post a Job

      Boost Your Prospects with ACRP Certification

      ACRP Certified professionals say their achievement results in increased job responsibility, more employment and advancement opportunities, and recognition—including promotions, bonuses, and salary increases.

      Learn More

      Getting Started in Clinical Research

      Interested in a career in clinical research? You’re in the right place! Explore career options, resources, and more to help you find your first opportunity in clinical research.

      Learn More

    • Insights

      In this Section

      • ACRP Blog
      • Clinical Researcher
      • Press Releases
      • White Papers & Reports

      Clinical Researcher—October 2024

      As project scopes and protocol complexities continue to grow, trial-related technologies emerge and mature, and new areas of specialization in the clinical research enterprise drive workforce evolution, contributors to this issue invite you to study the theme of “Always be Curious, Never Stop Learning”—focusing on critical facets of ongoing education, training, and research regulation and management so that you can stay ahead of the curve in an ever-changing environment for drug and device development.

      Read October 2024 Issue

      View Archives

      New! DCT Perspectives White Paper

       

       

       

       

       

      This new white paper examines recent work by ACRP and its members to build awareness of the need for a new budget model for sites and to leverage the adoption of DCT elements to improve how sites are supported in their critical contribution to drug development.

      Learn More

    • Events

      In this Section

      • Events Calendar
      • ACRP Annual Conference
      • Webinars
      • Chapter Events
      • Clinical Trials Day

      Upcoming Events

      • RTP Chapter: End of 2024 Celebration and 2025 Planning Session

        December 9, 2024

      • Enhancing Clinical Trial Diversity: Strategies for Inclusive Patient Engagement

        December 11, 2024

      • Virginia Chapter: ICH GCP E6 (R3) Overview of Changes & Hot Topics for Compliance

        December 11, 2024

      View All Events

      Discounted Rates for ACRP 2025

      ACRP members save $200 on their ACRP 2025 registration—or $400 when a pre-conference workshop is also selected. With a low membership fee of $160/year, you’ll immediately recoup your investment when you register for the conference.

      ACRP Membership

      Conference Registration

    • Employer Resources

      In this Section

      • Why ACRP
      • Our Services
      • Workforce Development
      • Verify ACRP Certification
      • Post a Job
      • Advertising & Sponsorships

      Advancing People Advancing Health™

      Through our gold-standard education, the most rigorous certification process in the industry, and strong comment connections – ACRP prepares clinical research professionals to be the study team members employers can trust to get it right.

      Learn More

      New! Organization Membership

      For organizations who want to provide their clinical study teams with continuous, ongoing education and professional development resources, Organization Membership is a turnkey and scalable solution.

      Learn More

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