The main aim of this book is to offer an easy tool to read a scientific article with greater awareness, to understand and evaluate it more thoroughly, and to better plan research. Today, in the era of evidence-based medicine, both research and daily patient-focused clinical practice are no longer possible without a thorough knowledge of the literature and its continuous updates.

Written by surgeons for surgeons, this practical book makes the basic concept of statistics and research methodology easy to understand and apply for young surgeons and researchers, students and residents.

Marco Ceresoli graduated from the Milano Bicocca University and currently works as General Surgeon at the San Gerardo University Hospital in Monza. He is a member of the World Society of Emergency Surgery with the role of consultant for guidelines development and methodology. His research is focused on emergency surgery with a special interest in development and application of evidence based medicine in daily practice and research. He serves as a member of editorial board of the World Journal of Emergency Surgery and BMC Surgery.

Kristan Staudenmayer received her medical degree from the University of Texas at Southwestern Medical School and completed her residency in General Surgery at Parkland Hospital. Her clinical focus is on trauma, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical care, and her research interests encompass trauma systems of care and vulnerable patient populations such as the elderly. She contributes nationally towards the academic mission by serving on committees for both the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma.

Fausto Catena is Chief of General and Emergency Surgery Department, Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, Italy. He worked as Consultant General Surgeon at the Dept. of General, Emergency and Transplant Surgery of the St Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy. He is member of many National and International Scientific Societies, Past President of the Italian Society of Young Surgeons, General Secretary of the World Society of Emergency Surgery, General Secretary of the Italian Society of Surgical Physiopathology, Member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Society of Geriatric Surgery, past Member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Society of Digestive Pathology and Past President of ESYS.

Federico Coccolini M.D. is professor of surgery and consultant in general, emergency and trauma surgery working at the Pisa University Hospital (Pisa, Italy), one of the biggest Level I trauma centre in Italy. He teaches Emergency and Trauma Surgery at the University of Pisa. He has a deep and documented experience in managing post-traumatic and non-post-traumatic patients. His principal interests are emergency surgery, trauma surgery, advanced oncology, oncologic gastrointestinal surgery, laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery, tissue engineering and experimental surgery, evidence-based medicine, and surgery. He is the principal investigator of multicentre studies and registers. He authored hundreds of papers and tens of book chapters. He edited a Textbook of Emergency General Surgery, several books and a book series. He served as reviewer for several journals. He is the Vice President of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and of the World Journal of Emergency Surgery (WJES), head of the scientific committee of the EVTM Society, member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Society of Emergency Surgery and Trauma, Italian Society of Geriatric Surgery and of the Italian Society of Surgical Physiopathology. Prof. Coccolini is a recognized world opinion leader in emergency general surgery and trauma.