Clinical trial registry: a necessity beyond journal requirements

"Over the past decade, a paradigm shift has occurred with a large number of peer-reviewed journals requiring authors to register their research in a clinical trial registry. Many journals, including Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, will not consider a clinical trial for publication without prospective registration in a public clinical trial registry. To some prospective authors, this may seem an unnecessary task and a barrier to publication of potentially impactful work. To others, the requirement of clinical trial registry is elusive, namely that there is often a lack of awareness as to what constitutes a clinical trial. Some researchers who oppose prospective registration argue, among other things, that this process discourages exploratory research. However, clinical trials are not exploratory research, and you cannot test a hypothesis with exploratory research...."