Pharmacists are required to apply research evidence in practice. As health care providers, pharmacists discern and translate both the quality and relevance of health information with the goal of optimizing patient outcomes. This course introduces students to clinical trial designs typically used in health care. The course will explore core principles in experimental and non-experimental research designs. The focus will be on randomized controlled trials as they are the primary method of generating evidence for therapeutic interventions. Students will learn how various research approaches are selected, designed, executed, analyzed, published and applied (including critical appraisal). The course covers a broad range of research topics at the introductory to intermediate level. Students will develop foundational knowledge and skills in research methods, statistics and ethics that will be applied in pharmacotherapy modules.