Pilot Study

In research, a pilot study refers to either a trial run of the major research study or a pretest of a particular research instrument or procedure. Ideally, such studies should be conducted using participants who closely resemble the targeted study population. Pilot studies are particularly valuable in situations where little is known about the research topic, or when executing unprecedented research instruments. The major objective of a pilot study is to discover problems prior to the main study so that the researcher can take corrective action to improve the research process, and thus the likelihood of success of the main study. This entry discusses the importance of pilot studies, the procedures and evaluation of pilot studies, and problems associated with them.