ABSTRACT
Family doctors are confronted daily with questions related to their patients or practice environment. Observations and questions that are captured by an alert and curious mind form the pool of ideas for research. Ideas can be jotted down on small cards that can be carried in the pocket, or kept in a file entitled 'Research Ideas'. Studies of the causation of a disease are termed 'analytical studies.' These studies set out to test hypotheses about the factors which determine that some populations or certain individuals within a population are affected by a disease while others are not. It is important to consider if any ethical issues are involved in the study. All information obtained in the study should be treated as confidential and the identity of individuals should remain anonymous. Costs for the project can be calculated under the following headings, namely, personnel, materials and equipment, travelling and data processing.
