This document provides guidelines for adapting traditional research techniques to the study of physical and sexual abuse, primarily violence against women by intimate partners, and it provides an introduction to the tools and vocabulary of research to community-based workers and activists. The guide concentrates on the use of applied research and the relation between violence against women and health in developing countries. Chapter topics include developing a research strategy, quantitative and qualitative approaches to research, the challenges of defining and measuring violence, sampling strategies, and tools for qualitative and quantitative research.