Evidence-based policing is a core part of the National Policing Curriculum, but policing students and new officers often feel daunted by the prospect of understanding research and how to use it to inform decision making in practice. This text helps readers develop a sound understanding of evidence-based practice in policing and contextualises the research process by explaining how it supports practice within the workplace. It clearly relates research to the investigative process, combining academic theory and operational understanding using relevant case studies and scenarios, and identifies the main approaches employed. It explores how evidence from research can be used to inform and develop critical arguments central to policing practice and signposts students to key sources of information.