This course introduces students to the foundations of scientific research in Social Work, integrating core concepts, methodological approaches and ethical principles. It aims to build a solid basis for designing research projects and to prepare students for the sequential pathway of Research Seminars By the end of the course, students should be able to: understand the specificities of research as a means of producing knowledge in Social Work; acquire basic knowledge and skills on research methods and practices; formulate clear and feasible research questions and hypotheses; identify and classify variables and indicators in empirical studies; outline introductory quantitative studies (design, sampling and measures); outline introductory qualitative studies (design, sampling and data-collection techniques); understand and respect ethical and deontological principles guiding research in the social sciences; critically read and assess the quality of scientific studies in Social Work.