Randomization

Randomization is the process of making groups of items random (in no predictable order), like shuffling cards in a card game, using a random number table to select units for sampling in quality control, or selecting a sample population for examination in research by having minimal guidelines for selection. For the latter, selecting a population for sociological research may involve first recruiting people that are part of an identified ethnic group, then further assigning those individuals randomly into "control" and "treatment" groups. Randomization is this type of research is believed to provide the most accurate assessment of the range of attitudes, beliefs, experiences of the sample group that in theory will represent the same factors among the whole population.