Includes bibliographical references and index.

Getting started: the anatomy and physiology of clinical research / S tephen B. Hulley, Thomas B. Newman, and Steven R. Cummings -- Conceivin g the research question / Steven R. Cummings, Warren S. Browner, and St ephen B. Hulley -- Choosing the study subjects: specification, sampling , and recruitment / Stephen B. Hulley, Thomas B. Newman, and Steven R. Cummings -- Planning the measurements: precision and accuracy / Stephen B. Hulley and Steven R. Cummings -- Getting ready to estimate sample s ize: hypotheses and underlying principles / Warren S. Browner, Thomas B . Newman, and Stephen B. Hulley -- Estimating sample size and power: ap plications and examples / Warren S. Browner, Thomas B. Newman, and Step hen B. Hulley -- Designing an observational study: cohort studies / Ste ven R. Cummings, Thomas B. Newman, and Stephen B. Hulley -- Designing a n observational study: cross-sectional and case-control studies / Thoma s B. Newman ... [et al.] -- Enhancing causal inference in observational studies / Thomas B. Newman, Warren S. Browner, and Stephen B. Hulley - -

Designing a randomized blinded trial / Steven R. Cummings, Deborah G rady, and Stephen B. Hulley -- Alternative trial designs and implementa tion issues / Deborah Grady, Steven R. Cummings, and Stephen B. Hulley -- Designing studies of medical tests / Thomas B. Newman, Warren S. Bro wner, and Steven R. Cummings -- Research using existing databases: seco ndary data analysis, ancillary studies, and systematic reviews / Debora h Grady and Norman Hearst -- Addressing ethical issues / Bernard Lo -- Designing questionnaires and interviews / Steven R. Cummings and Stephe n B. Hulley -- Data management / Michael A. Kohn -- Implementing the st udy: pretesting, quality control, and protocol revisions / Stephen B. H ulley and Steven R. Cummings.