Careful site selection methods and tools, such as questionnaires, have evolved to become "best" practice in the commercial and non-commercial clinical trials setting. However, there is little evidence of the value of such strategies, and there is no generally accepted model or tool to use when identifying potential sites and deciding which to include in a trial.

The Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit developed a simple template site selection questionnaire in 2010. This included both generic questions about research experience and capacity to study specific questions based on requirements of the trial protocol. These questionnaires were piloted in four multi-centre trials in the UK. This pilot project assessed how well the questionnaire predicted performance against pre-specified recruitment targets at each site.

To describe strategies in current use for identifying and selecting trial sites for randomised trials, we also conducted a survey of Chief Investigators for trials funded by the National Institute for Health Research, and of UK Trial Managers' Network members. 

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