Nikulin involutions on K3 surfaces

We study the maps induced on cohomology by a Nikulin (i.e. a symplectic) involution on a K3 surface. We parametrize the eleven dimensional irreducible components of the moduli space of algebraic K3 surfaces with a Nikulin involution and we give examples of the general K3 surface in various components. We conclude with some remarks on Morrison-Nikulin involutions, these are Nikulin involutions which interchange two copies of E_8(-1) in the Neron Severi group.