title: Critical Appraisal of Emergency Medicine Education Research: The Best Publications of 2014.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to critically appraise and highlight rigorous education research study articles published in 2014 whose outcomes advance the science of emergency medicine (EM) education.
  
  
  METHODS
  A search of the English language literature in 2014 querying Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsychINFO, PubMed, and Scopus identified 243 EM-related articles using either quantitative (hypothesis-testing or observational investigations of educational interventions) or qualitative (exploring important phenomena in EM education) methods. Two reviewers independently screened all of the publications using previously established exclusion criteria. Six reviewers then independently scored the 25 selected publications using either a qualitative or a quantitative scoring system. Each scoring system consisted of nine criteria. Selected criteria were based on accepted educational review literature and chosen a priori. Both scoring systems use parallel scoring metrics and have been used previously within this annual review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five medical education research papers (22 quantitative, three qualitative) met the criteria for inclusion and were reviewed. Five quantitative and two qualitative studies were ranked most highly by the reviewers as exemplary and are summarized in this article.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This annual critical appraisal series highlights seven excellent EM education research studies, meeting a priori criteria and published in 2014. Methodologic strengths in the 2014 papers are noted, and current trends in medical education research in EM are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR.
authors.forename: Lalena M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Yarris
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR.
authors.forename: Amy Miller
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Juve
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine and Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Wendy C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Coates
authors.affiliation: Departments of Emergency Medicine, Maricopa Medical Center & University of Arizona COM-Phoenix Campus, Phoenix, AZ.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA.
authors.forename: Corey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shayne
authors.affiliation: Partners Healthcare International and Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Farrell
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012106:Research / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*