blinding

Blinding is a method used in research, especially in clinical trials, to prevent bias. It involves hiding certain information—such as which treatment a participant is receiving—to ensure that neither the participants nor the researchers influence the results consciously or unconsciously. This helps produce more reliable and objective data about whether a treatment is effective. Blinding can be single (only participants or researchers are unaware), double (both parties are unaware), or triple (adding oversight by an independent party). Overall, blinding enhances the credibility of the study’s findings by reducing potential bias.