AbstractEcho planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) allows for mapping one spatial dimension and the spectroscopic dimension in a single readout. Modern clinical magnetic resonance imaging scanners are becoming widely equipped with echo planar imaging gradient capabilities. Thus there exists an enormous potential for EPSI to facilitate clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Here, a pedagogical analysis of how the spectral and spatial encoding occur within EPSI is provided along with demonstrations of the technique and a discussion of the inherent signal‐to‐noise limitations. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson 13: 213–237, 2001