Research or Evaluation – does the difference matter?

There appears to be an insatiable appetite to develop and improve medical education. A quick perusal of the abstracts of any recent conference or publication reveals the high frequency with which the terms ‘research’ and ‘evaluation’ occurs, although there often appears to be little to distinguish between the two. In this article, we will highlight the key conceptual differences between research and evaluation and discuss the importance of clear distinction between the two processes; a distinction which is often blurred. We aim to explore some of the possible reasons why this is the case. Finally, we will plea for greater awareness of how the strengths of evaluation can be applied to both understand and improve medical education