A pilot study, pilot project or pilot experiment is a small scale preliminary study conducted in order to evaluate feasibility, time, cost, adverse events, and effect size (statistical variability) in an attempt to predict an appropriate sample size and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research project. Pilot stud...
[n] - a preliminary experiment whose outcome can lead to a more extensive experiment
noun a preliminary experiment whose outcome can lead to a more extensive experiment