 Clinical and translational research, CTR, involves the process of moving basic research findings into human trials, then into clinical settings, practice, and ultimately the population. This paper provides a framework for rigorous and reproducible CTR by providing general and phase-specific recommendations for improving quality and reproducibility of CTR. The authors also present and discuss aspects of rigor and reproducibility following published examples of CTR from the literature, including one example that demonstrates the development path of different treatments for ALK plus NSELC. It is particularly important to consider robust and unbiased experimental design and methodology for analysis and interpretation for clinical translation studies to ensure reproducibility before taking the next translational step. There are both commonality and differences along the clinical translation research phases in terms of research focuses and considerations regarding study design, implementation, and data analysis approaches. Sound scientific practices, starting with rigorous study design, transparency, and team efforts can greatly enhance CTR. Investigators from multidisciplinary teams should work along the spectrum of CTR phases and identify optimal practices for study design, data collection, data analysis, and results reporting to allow TIM. This article was authored by Chris Witchman, Lynette M. Smith, and Fang Yu.