This practical manual has been developed in response to the growing need to improve the quality quantity and comparability of international data on physical and sexual abuse. It outlines some of the methodological and ethical challenges of conducting research on violence against women and describes a range of innovative techniques that have been used to address these challenges. It will be useful for those interested in pursuing research on violence aginst women especially in developing countries and other resource-poor settings. The manual draws on the experience of implementing the WHO Multi-country Study on Women s Health and Domestic Violence against Women in over 10 countries. It also draws on the collective experiences and insights of many researchers and activists who contributed to the development of the manual. This manual is written for anyone interested in the application of social science and public health research methods to the study of gender-based violence. It is designed for researchers who want to know more about adapting traditional research techniques to the special case of investigating physical sexual and emotional abuse. And it is designed for activists community workers and service providers who want to become conversant in methodological issues.