Book excerpt: The revised Tomorrow′s Doctors makes it clear that doctors need to be aware of their responsibilities as scholars and scientists and it is therefore vital that students develop excellent research skills. Whilst there are many ′research skills′ books, medical students frequently struggle with understanding the difference between the practices of research, audit, service evaluation, systematic and narrative reviews and when and how to apply them. This book addresses the kinds of questions novice investigators always ask and helps students utilise study designs, data collection tools and analysis effectively.