Solid, well-thought-out procedures and processes help ensure that all staff at academic medical institutions and other research organizations apply and document consistent standards and practices when conducting studies. Regulatory changes, special researcher- and patient-safety issues, such as those that have arisen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the industry’s steady move toward adopting wholly or partially decentralized approaches to clinical trials are all factors that can call for updated standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure that routine practices accommodate the shifting research environment while maintaining regulatory compliance and data quality and integrity.