Bilal I. Avan  ( The Human Development Programme, The Aga Khan University Karachi. )

This is the first article in a series of articles that are being published on planning, coriducting and interpreting research in the field of medicine. The articles are not purely for epidemiologists. The main intention is to provide both clinical and non-clinical graduates with enough basic skills to carry out research and to appraise research conducted by others that research would help to upgrade their professional efficiency. It is hoped that undergraduates will also find these articles a source of information, because the educational system in Pakistan suffers from deficiencies in the curriculum regarding research concepts.