diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b02274b..4671b6c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -129,6 +129,27 @@ this is valid as long as `suite1.edn` is provided as a suite whenever `suite2.ed
 
     java -jar rdf-validator-standalone.jar --endpoint data.ttl --suite suite1.edn --suite suite2.edn
 
+### Running individual suites
+
+By default all test cases within all test suites will be executed when running `rdf-validator`.
+This may be undesirable if many test suites are defined, or if one suite imports from another since
+this will cause imported test cases to be executed multiple times.
+
+Individual test suites can be executed by providing the suite names to be run in an argument list
+to the command-line invocation e.g.
+
+#### tests.edn
+```clojure
+{:suite1 ["test1.sparql" "test2.sparql" "test3.sparql"]
+ :suite2 {:import [:suite1]
+          :exclude [:suite1/test2]
+          :tests ["test4.sparql"]
+ :suite3 ["test5.sparql"]}
+```
+
+    java -jar rdf-validator-standalone.jar --endpoint data.ttl --suite tests.edn suite2 suite3
+    
+This will execute the tests defined within `suite2` and `suite3` within `tests.edn`.
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/src/rdf_validator/core.clj b/src/rdf_validator/core.clj
index e2db06d..12c1917 100644
--- a/src/rdf_validator/core.clj
+++ b/src/rdf_validator/core.clj
@@ -117,7 +117,8 @@
               endpoint (create-endpoint options)
               query-variables (:variables options)
               suites (tc/resolve-test-suites suite-files)
-              test-cases (tc/suite-tests suites)
+              suites-to-run (:arguments result)
+              test-cases (tc/suite-tests suites suites-to-run)
               test-reporter (reporting/->ConsoleTestReporter)
               {:keys [failed errored] :as test-summary} (run-test-cases test-cases query-variables endpoint test-reporter)]
           (System/exit (+ failed errored)))
diff --git a/src/rdf_validator/test_cases.clj b/src/rdf_validator/test_cases.clj
index b3047b0..c642894 100644
--- a/src/rdf_validator/test_cases.clj
+++ b/src/rdf_validator/test_cases.clj
@@ -205,5 +205,13 @@
                     test-suite-files)]
     (resolve-imports raw)))
 
-(defn suite-tests [suite]
-  (mapcat :tests (vals suite)))
+(defn suite-tests
+  "Given a test suite map and a collection of test suite names to run, returns a sequence of test cases to be executed.
+   If no suite names are specified, all tests for all suites are returned."
+  [suites to-run-names]
+  (let [get-suite (fn [suite-name]
+                    (get suites (keyword suite-name)))
+        suites-to-run (if (seq to-run-names)
+                        (map get-suite to-run-names)
+                        (vals suites))]
+    (mapcat :tests suites-to-run)))
diff --git a/test/rdf_validator/test_cases_test.clj b/test/rdf_validator/test_cases_test.clj
index 32a966d..c58c445 100644
--- a/test/rdf_validator/test_cases_test.clj
+++ b/test/rdf_validator/test_cases_test.clj
@@ -165,3 +165,20 @@
                                      :suite :imports
                                      :name "ask_resource"}]}}]
     (is (= expected (resolve-test-suites suite-files)))))
+
+(deftest suite-tests-test
+  (let [test1 {:name "test1"}
+        test2 {:name "test2"}
+        test3 {:name "test3"}
+        test4 {:name "test4"}
+        suites {:suite1 {:tests [test1 test2]}
+                :suite2 {:tests [test3]}
+                :suite3 {:tests [test4]}}]
+    (testing "specified suites"
+      (let [to-run-names ["suite1" "suite3" "missing"]
+            to-run (suite-tests suites to-run-names)]
+        (is (= #{test1 test2 test4} (set to-run)))))
+
+    (testing "all suites"
+      (is (= #{test1 test2 test3 test4}
+             (set (suite-tests suites [])))))))