Executive summary The literature review summarised here constitutes research with a purpose: that is to identify and explore literature which is, or may be, relevant to understanding the position of men in Scotland who experience domestic abuse. It is "action research" - the intention is that the information presented here will be used as a reference point for further research and policy development in relation to the many issues surrounding men's experience of domestic abuse, that it will empower men who have experienced domestic abuse to contribute to filling in the gaps in our knowledge and that it will support and inform service providers who seek to respond to all those who experience domestic abuse and the children affected by that abuse. Recognition of the many and varied needs of men in no way implies any desire for a reduction in recognition of the abuse experienced by women. Addressing domestic abuse is not a "zero sum" situation where recognition of the needs of one takes anything away from recognition of the needs of any other. Challenging all forms and incidents of abuse will make Scottish society better for all. The majority of the work on this review was completed in late 2012 though at some points it has been possible to include some literature from 2013. To download the full literature review and further copies of this summary please go to the "Research" area at www.amis.org.uk. The author welcomes comments and correspondence, including suggestions for inclusion in future editions of the review - b.dempsey@dundee.ac.uk. Chapter 1: The absent voices of men In recent years those producing research publications, policy documents and publicity materials on many social issues have rightly made efforts to include some direct presentation of the "voice" of the people affected by the issue. This is particularly the case with feminist research into domestic abuse experienced by women in mixed- sex relationships. The review therefore includes many quotes from men who have experienced abuse. A review of the literature quickly reveals an absence of the voices of those men who have experienced domestic abuse. Most striking of all is the absence of any attention being paid to the 'lived experience' of abused men in the political and policy debate on domestic abuse. It is even true of much of the literature supposedly addressing the issue of men's experience of abuse. Abused men (and particular groups of men, eg, heterosexual, BME and/or older men) are often labelled as "hard to reach" though with appropriate motivation and methodologies "hard to reach" researchers can find ways to access men's experiences, with the work of Hines providing an example of good practice (Hines et al 2007, see also Hester & Donovan 2009). Chapter 2: Men's reporting of abuse Reliable quantitative information about all aspects of domestic abuse is notoriously difficult to obtain for a number of reasons. However, what we do know is that significant numbers of men do take the difficult step of coming forward to report the abuse that they