Table 1 Study participants and application of the questionnaire.

Groups of participants	2nd‐year graduate medical students		Postgraduate students and doctors	Medical teachers
	Uninstructed	Instructed
Participants (n)	85	152	125	112
Assessment*	During the 1st module of the mandatory course “Principles of Scientific Research in Medicine”	During the 2nd module of the mandatory course “Principles of Scientific Research in Medicine”	During postgraduate and continuing medical education courses	By a postal survey
Time of assessment	March 2004	June 2004	Spring and autumn 2004	Autumn and winter 2004
Response rate (%)	100	100	100	72

*There was no time limit imposed for filling in the questionnaires handed out during courses. It usually took up to 30 min to complete the questionnaire.