What is the significance of posting summary results in a Clinical Trial Registry?

Posting summary results in a Clinical Trial Registry is significant because it serves to maintain transparency and ensure public access to vital trial information. This practice helps to promote accountability in research by allowing stakeholders, such as patients, healthcare providers, and researchers, to have access to information about the trials' objectives, design, and outcomes. Transparency is crucial for building trust in the research community, as it helps to prevent publication bias—where only positive results are reported—thus providing a full and accurate representation of the research conducted. By making summary results publicly available, the registry enables better informed decision-making among healthcare professionals and patients and fosters a more open scientific dialogue.

The other choices do not encompass the primary purpose of posting summary results. While attracting new researchers or keeping track of institutional funding may be beneficial side effects, they are not the main significance of registering and publicly posting trial results. Similarly, simplifying the publication process is not the focus of registry postings; rather, it concerns sharing data transparently.