To cite a clinical trial registered in a public registry, it must be the only publicly available document while the clinical trial results have not yet been published. Some of the examples of when to use and cite this record:

• When the clinical trial results are to be published or to issue any other manuscript to report its results
• When is going to be published or reported methodological aspects of the trial
• In protocols of systematic reviews, or completed systematic reviews that include list of ongoing trials
• In prospective meta-analysis protocols trials that include list of ongoing trials