This book is the third edition of a highly successful book in the Oxford General Practice Series. The aim is to provide practical guidance to get you to the point where you will be able to complete and publish a research project of your own. In this respect the book is intended as a basic research primer. The book is organized to follow the research process, from the initial formulation of a researchable question, through the process of deciding on a plan (the design), choosing a sample, and devising appropriate measurement instruments, to the data analysis and final writing up of the project. The book is appropriate for individuals planning research and groups. The text has been extensively revised, in part as a response to the increasingly important part played by computers in research. But also research techniques are in a constant state of development so it was opportune to update sections on research design and statistics. The last chapter on audit has now been placed in the context of clinical governance.