Shows how corpora can be used for language learning and teaching Examines the state-of-the-art in DDL research, in light of the available empirical evidence on both etic and emic dimensions, while placing particular emphasis on the methodological gaps Illustrates the main methodological challenges in researching DDL, from corpus resource selection to empirical evaluation of its pedagogical effectiveness, and describes how they can be overcome Demonstrates, by means of an in-depth case study, how the guidelines provided above can be applied when researching DDL effects in a specific second language learning and teaching context while outlining some desirable avenues for future research and pedagogical practice Of interest to those conducting research in corpus linguistics and teaching in the Italian domain, but also to those working with other languages