Where should a detailed description of trial design and patient populations be included?

A detailed description of trial design and patient populations should be included in the Methods section of a research publication. This section is critical because it provides readers with the context needed to understand how the study was conducted. It outlines the specific experimental setup, which includes the inclusion and exclusion criteria for patient populations, randomization processes, and other methodological details that allow for the replication of the study and the assessment of the validity of its findings.

Including this information in the Methods section ensures that it is clearly separated from results, discussions, and introductory materials, allowing readers to focus on how the study was operationalized. Without this detail, readers may have difficulty interpreting the results or understanding the implications of the findings in relation to the specific populations studied.