• Mara B Antonoff, Stephanie Nguyen, Tom C Nguyen, and David D Odell.
• Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tex. Electronic address: mbantonoff@mdanderson.org.
• J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 2019 Feb 1; 157 (2): 820-827.e1.

ObjectiveThere is a clear need for improved quality of research publications in the area of cardiothoracic surgical education. With the goals of enhancing the power, rigor, and strength of educational investigations, the Thoracic Education Cooperative Group seeks to outline key concepts in successfully conducting such research.MethodsLiterature and established guidelines for conduct of research in surgical education were reviewed, and recommendations were developed for investigators in thoracic surgical education.ResultsKey steps in educational research are highlighted and discussed with regard to their application to cardiothoracic surgical education. Specifically, advice is provided in terms of developing a research question, educational methodology, ethical issues, and handling power and sample sizes. Additional caveats of educational research that are addressed include aspects of validity, survey conduct, and simulation research.ConclusionsEducational research can serve to enhance the practices and careers of current trainees, our scientific community, and thoracic surgical educators. To optimize the quality of such educational research, it is imperative that teachers, innovators, and contributors to academic scholarship in our field familiarize themselves with key steps in conducting educational studies.Copyright © 2018 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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