An introduction to research for primary dental care clinicians Part 2: Stage 4. Planning the study.

Introduction In the first paper in this series,1 the ten stages in a research project (listed below) were identified and the first three were addressed. They are the initial idea (asking a research question), searching the literature and refining the question. 1. The initial idea (asking a research question). 2. Searching the literature. 3. Refining the research question. 4. Planning the study. 5. Writing a protocol. 6. Obtaining ethics approval and funding. 7. Piloting the methodology and project management. 8. Collecting data. 9. Analysing the data. 10. Writing up and disseminating the results. This second paper addresses the tasks involved in the next stage: the study planning. Introduction to Research in Primary Dental Care