Essential Foundational Education Research Methods Articles for Graduate Medical Educators: A Delphi Study

<b>Background</b> Graduate medical educators interested in designing and conducting education research may seek foundational general overview articles on education research methods. <b>Objective</b> We aimed to identify the most useful foundational education research methods articles for medical educators. <b>Methods</b> We identified candidate articles through a 2020 Ovid MEDLINE literature search augmented by the authors' personal files and by cross-checking references of included articles. Articles that were primarily about general education research principles were included; articles were excluded if they were not focused on medical education research methods, were published prior to the year 2000, were written in a non-English language, or had no available abstracts. We conducted a modified Delphi study with 10 participants representing a range of specialties and education research experience to find consensus about the most useful articles. We planned 3 rounds of the Delphi process, the first to eliminate any articles not deemed useful for this audience, and the second and third rounds to include articles that at least 80% of the panel deemed "most useful" to education researchers. <b>Results</b> Of 25 relevant articles identified in the literature search: one was excluded in round 1, 7 met the a priori threshold of 80% agreement for inclusion in round 2, and an additional 2 met inclusion in round 3. These 9 foundational education research methods articles relevant to graduate medical educators are described, along with a capsule summary and specific use for education researchers. <b>Conclusions</b> Our modified Delphi study of foundational education research methods articles identified 9 articles deemed useful for graduate medical educators who are seeking methods resources.