A clinical investigation, or clinical trial, is a highly structured research study. There are three general types of epidemiologic experiments: community trials, field trials, and clinical trials.Four Phases of Clinical Trials. While each clinical trial is different, please take your time in deciding if you want to participate in a study. What Is A Clinical Trial? A clinical trial is any research study that evaluates interventions to prevent, detect, diagnose, or treat a disease or disorder. A few of our biostatistics experts explain the basic design of a vaccine trial and how we determine whether a vaccine is safe. Clinical research is not lab-based, it is people-centered and covers the entire spectrum of safety and effective usage. Students will be able to apply their skills for employment in a clinical research environment such as a clinical trial site or contract research organization. It is also commonly referred to as a clinical trial.