This is the first book to provide guidance for a critical approach to the family practice literature. Selected published papers are reviewed by acknowledged authorities in a series of critical essays, to which the authors respond. The ways in which the reader can approach and evaluate a variety of research methodologies and topics is demonstrated clearly. The articles in the book use diverse methodologies including qualitative and quantitative research methods, in-depth interviews, descriptive surveys, analytical studies, randomized controlled trials and cohort studies, including many aspects of patient care.