Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Comparing a treatment with a dummy pill separates real effects from expectation. The figure is taken from World Health Organization, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a science fact?

Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Controlled trials use placebo groups

Comparing a treatment with a dummy pill separates real effects from expectation A placebo is an inert treatment made to look identical to the one being tested. Randomly assigning participants to placebo or treatment, and keeping both patients and assessors unaware of the assignment, reduces bias. Without a control group, patients who improve on their own could be mistaken for evidence of benefit. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

World Health Organization

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Tags: method, medicine, statistics

Controlled trials use placebo groups: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Comparing a treatment with a dummy pill separates real effects from expectation. The figure is taken from World Health Organization, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a science fact?: Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.