A random controlled trial, also called a randomized controlled trial (RCT), is a type of quantitative study that attempts to accurately assess the efficacy of one or more clinical interventions. In this study, participants are selected at random to receive one of many clinical interventions, one of which is usually a placebo or fake treatment. The placebo acts as the control against which to compare the results from the other participants who received the clinical intervention being tested. A random controlled trial is considered the most reliable method for testing the efficacy of new treatments because it prevents clinicians or researchers from being able to influence or skew the outcome of the trial in any way. They cannot choose who receives the placebo or who receives treatment and therefore cannot consciously or subconsciously select individuals most likely to benefit from the treatment, which would likely create false-positive results.