A research timeline can contain more than one completion milestone. Before writing that a study finished on a particular date, identify which milestone the record describes and whether its date is estimated or actual.
ClinicalTrials.gov links primary completion to final primary-outcome data collection. Its study-completion definition also covers secondary outcomes and adverse-event collection. These are data-collection milestones; the source note should preserve the field label.
A milestone worksheet
| Field | Keep beside the date |
|---|---|
| Primary completion | The record’s date status and source version. |
| Study completion | The record’s date status and source version. |
| Results publication | A separate, identified results document if located. |
The third line is an editorial tracking field, not a claim that a publication exists. Leave it unresolved when no results document has been found.
Read a sequence without inventing its ending
For a hypothetical source note, primary collection might be listed before the remaining follow-up finishes. That sequence alone tells an editor nothing about when a journal article will appear. It also does not tell whether the research met its objectives. Each further statement needs its own record.
If a date changes between versions, retain the earlier value, later value and the versions compared. Describe the documented change. Do not infer delay, wrongdoing or a scientific result merely from the difference.
Use an accurate timeline sentence
Name the milestone and status explicitly. Where a record remains estimated, preserve that qualification rather than turning a projected calendar entry into a completed event.
No live study was evaluated for this guide. It provides a way to maintain a research chronology without making a clinical, legal-compliance or publication-deadline judgement. A completion date is one labelled event in a source trail, not a verdict on the study.
Official field definitions read in the browser on 21 October 2026; the page states last update 24 April 2025. Editorial worksheets are suggested reading aids. No live trial or clinical outcome is appraised.
Primary source: ClinicalTrials.gov protocol registration data-element definitions. Related discussion: health information source quality.
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