diff --git a/scripts/validate_docstrings.py b/scripts/validate_docstrings.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000..7807785c24751
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/validate_docstrings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,355 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+"""
+Analyze docstrings to detect errors.
+
+If no argument is provided, it does a quick check of docstrings and returns
+a csv with all API functions and results of basic checks.
+
+If a function or method is provided in the form "pandas.function",
+"pandas.module.class.method", etc. a list of all errors in the docstring for
+the specified function or method.
+
+Usage::
+    $ ./validate_docstrings.py
+    $ ./validate_docstrings.py pandas.DataFrame.head
+"""
+import os
+import sys
+import csv
+import re
+import functools
+import argparse
+import contextlib
+import inspect
+import importlib
+import doctest
+import textwrap
+try:
+    from io import StringIO
+except ImportError:
+    from cStringIO import StringIO
+import numpy
+
+BASE_PATH = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(BASE_PATH))
+import pandas
+
+sys.path.insert(1, os.path.join(BASE_PATH, 'doc', 'sphinxext'))
+from numpydoc.docscrape import NumpyDocString
+
+
+def _to_original_callable(obj):
+    while True:
+        if inspect.isfunction(obj) or inspect.isclass(obj):
+            f = inspect.getfile(obj)
+            if f.startswith('<') and f.endswith('>'):
+                return None
+            return obj
+        if inspect.ismethod(obj):
+            obj = obj.__func__
+        elif isinstance(obj, functools.partial):
+            obj = obj.func
+        elif isinstance(obj, property):
+            obj = obj.fget
+        else:
+            return None
+
+
+def _output_header(title, width=80, char='#'):
+    full_line = char * width
+    side_len = (width - len(title) - 2) // 2
+    adj = '' if len(title) % 2 == 0 else ' '
+    title_line = '{side} {title}{adj} {side}'.format(side=char * side_len,
+                                                     title=title,
+                                                     adj=adj)
+
+    return '\n{full_line}\n{title_line}\n{full_line}\n\n'.format(
+        full_line=full_line, title_line=title_line)
+
+
+class Docstring:
+    def __init__(self, method_name, method_obj):
+        self.method_name = method_name
+        self.method_obj = method_obj
+        self.raw_doc = method_obj.__doc__ or ''
+        self.raw_doc = textwrap.dedent(self.raw_doc)
+        self.doc = NumpyDocString(self.raw_doc)
+
+    def __len__(self):
+        return len(self.raw_doc)
+
+    @property
+    def source_file_name(self):
+        fname = inspect.getsourcefile(self.method_obj)
+        if fname:
+            fname = os.path.relpath(fname, BASE_PATH)
+            return fname
+
+    @property
+    def source_file_def_line(self):
+        try:
+            return inspect.getsourcelines(self.method_obj)[-1]
+        except OSError:
+            pass
+
+    @property
+    def github_url(self):
+        url = 'https://github.com/pandas-dev/pandas/blob/master/'
+        url += '{}#L{}'.format(self.source_file_name,
+                               self.source_file_def_line)
+        return url
+
+    @property
+    def first_line_blank(self):
+        if self.raw_doc:
+            return not bool(self.raw_doc.split('\n')[0].strip())
+
+    @property
+    def summary(self):
+        if not self.doc['Extended Summary'] and len(self.doc['Summary']) > 1:
+            return ''
+        return ' '.join(self.doc['Summary'])
+
+    @property
+    def extended_summary(self):
+        if not self.doc['Extended Summary'] and len(self.doc['Summary']) > 1:
+            return ' '.join(self.doc['Summary'])
+        return ' '.join(self.doc['Extended Summary'])
+
+    @property
+    def needs_summary(self):
+        return not (bool(self.summary) and bool(self.extended_summary))
+
+    @property
+    def doc_parameters(self):
+        return self.doc['Parameters']
+
+    @property
+    def signature_parameters(self):
+        if not inspect.isfunction(self.method_obj):
+            return tuple()
+        params = tuple(inspect.signature(self.method_obj).parameters.keys())
+        if params and params[0] in ('self', 'cls'):
+            return params[1:]
+        return params
+
+    @property
+    def parameter_mismatches(self):
+        errs = []
+        signature_params = self.signature_parameters
+        if self.doc_parameters:
+            doc_params = list(zip(*self.doc_parameters))[0]
+        else:
+            doc_params = []
+
+        missing = set(signature_params) - set(doc_params)
+        if missing:
+            errs.append('Parameters {!r} not documented'.format(missing))
+        extra = set(doc_params) - set(signature_params)
+        if extra:
+            errs.append('Unknown parameters {!r}'.format(extra))
+        if not missing and not extra and signature_params != doc_params:
+            errs.append('Wrong parameters order. ' +
+                        'Actual: {!r}. '.format(signature_params) +
+                        'Documented: {!r}'.format(doc_params))
+
+        return errs
+
+    @property
+    def correct_parameters(self):
+        return not bool(self.parameter_mismatches)
+
+    @property
+    def see_also(self):
+        return self.doc['See Also']
+
+    @property
+    def examples(self):
+        return self.doc['Examples']
+
+    @property
+    def first_line_ends_in_dot(self):
+        if self.doc:
+            return self.doc.split('\n')[0][-1] == '.'
+
+    @property
+    def deprecated(self):
+        pattern = re.compile('.. deprecated:: ')
+        return (self.method_name.startswith('pandas.Panel') or
+                bool(pattern.search(self.summary)) or
+                bool(pattern.search(self.extended_summary)))
+
+    @property
+    def examples_errors(self):
+        flags = doctest.NORMALIZE_WHITESPACE | doctest.IGNORE_EXCEPTION_DETAIL
+        finder = doctest.DocTestFinder()
+        runner = doctest.DocTestRunner(optionflags=flags)
+        context = {'np': numpy, 'pd': pandas}
+        error_msgs = ''
+        for test in finder.find(self.raw_doc, self.method_name, globs=context):
+            f = StringIO()
+            with contextlib.redirect_stdout(f):
+                runner.run(test)
+            error_msgs += f.getvalue()
+        return error_msgs
+
+
+def get_api_items():
+    api_fname = os.path.join(BASE_PATH, 'doc', 'source', 'api.rst')
+
+    position = None
+    with open(api_fname) as f:
+        for line in f:
+            if line.startswith('.. currentmodule::'):
+                current_module = line.replace('.. currentmodule::', '').strip()
+                continue
+
+            if line == '.. autosummary::\n':
+                position = 'autosummary'
+                continue
+
+            if position == 'autosummary':
+                if line == '\n':
+                    position = 'items'
+                    continue
+
+            if position == 'items':
+                if line == '\n':
+                    position = None
+                    continue
+                item = line.strip()
+                func = importlib.import_module(current_module)
+                for part in item.split('.'):
+                    func = getattr(func, part)
+
+                yield '.'.join([current_module, item]), func
+
+
+def validate_all():
+    writer = csv.writer(sys.stdout)
+    writer.writerow(['Function or method',
+                     'Type',
+                     'File',
+                     'Code line',
+                     'GitHub link',
+                     'Is deprecated',
+                     'Has summary',
+                     'Has extended summary',
+                     'Parameters ok',
+                     'Has examples',
+                     'Shared code with'])
+    seen = {}
+    for func_name, func in get_api_items():
+        obj_type = type(func).__name__
+        original_callable = _to_original_callable(func)
+        if original_callable is None:
+            writer.writerow([func_name, obj_type] + [''] * 9)
+        else:
+            doc = Docstring(func_name, original_callable)
+            key = doc.source_file_name, doc.source_file_def_line
+            shared_code = seen.get(key, '')
+            seen[key] = func_name
+            writer.writerow([func_name,
+                             obj_type,
+                             doc.source_file_name,
+                             doc.source_file_def_line,
+                             doc.github_url,
+                             int(doc.deprecated),
+                             int(bool(doc.summary)),
+                             int(bool(doc.extended_summary)),
+                             int(doc.correct_parameters),
+                             int(bool(doc.examples)),
+                             shared_code])
+
+    return 0
+
+
+def validate_one(func_name):
+    for maxsplit in range(1, func_name.count('.') + 1):
+        # TODO when py3 only replace by: module, *func_parts = ...
+        func_name_split = func_name.rsplit('.', maxsplit=maxsplit)
+        module = func_name_split[0]
+        func_parts = func_name_split[1:]
+        try:
+            func_obj = importlib.import_module(module)
+        except ImportError:
+            pass
+        else:
+            continue
+
+    if 'module' not in locals():
+        raise ImportError('No module can be imported '
+                          'from "{}"'.format(func_name))
+
+    for part in func_parts:
+        func_obj = getattr(func_obj, part)
+
+    doc = Docstring(func_name, func_obj)
+
+    sys.stderr.write(_output_header('Docstring ({})'.format(func_name)))
+    sys.stderr.write('{}\n'.format(doc.raw_doc))
+
+    errs = []
+    if not doc.summary:
+        errs.append('No summary found')
+    else:
+        if not doc.summary[0].isupper():
+            errs.append('Summary does not start with capital')
+        if doc.summary[-1] != '.':
+            errs.append('Summary does not end with dot')
+        if doc.summary.split(' ')[0][-1] == 's':
+            errs.append('Summary must start with infinitive verb, '
+                        'not third person (e.g. use "Generate" instead of '
+                        '"Generates")')
+    if not doc.extended_summary:
+        errs.append('No extended summary found')
+
+    param_errs = doc.parameter_mismatches
+    if param_errs:
+        errs.append('Errors in parameters section')
+        for param_err in param_errs:
+            errs.append('\t{}'.format(param_err))
+
+    examples_errs = ''
+    if not doc.examples:
+        errs.append('No examples section found')
+    else:
+        examples_errs = doc.examples_errors
+        if examples_errs:
+            errs.append('Examples do not pass tests')
+
+    sys.stderr.write(_output_header('Validation'))
+    if errs:
+        sys.stderr.write('Errors found:\n')
+        for err in errs:
+            sys.stderr.write('\t{}\n'.format(err))
+    else:
+        sys.stderr.write('Docstring for "{}" correct. :)\n'.format(func_name))
+
+    if examples_errs:
+        sys.stderr.write(_output_header('Doctests'))
+        sys.stderr.write(examples_errs)
+
+    return len(errs)
+
+
+def main(function):
+    if function is None:
+        return validate_all()
+    else:
+        return validate_one(function)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    argparser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description='validate pandas docstrings')
+    argparser.add_argument('function',
+                           nargs='?',
+                           default=None,
+                           help=('function or method to validate '
+                                 '(e.g. pandas.DataFrame.head) '
+                                 'if not provided, all docstrings '
+                                 'are validated'))
+    args = argparser.parse_args()
+    sys.exit(main(args.function))