Through a combination of descriptive text and exercises, this book presents an accessible framework for the planning and critical evaluation of epidemiologic studies. It describes the principal sources of error, their impact on the results, and the research strategies used to prevent errors. These strategies are the building blocks of epidemiologic study design which generally seek to obtain accurate results despite the employment of limited resources. The volume is illustrated with examples and exercises from studies published in international journals. It starts with an introduction of...