LAUSR

effect of the intervention using a participant questionnaire. Although convenient, this method (self-assessment) has been demonstrated to have very limited validity for assessing competence. Second, there is no generalizable concept or theoretical framework being used in the study to explain an effect of the proposed intervention. Like clinical research, good educational research is based on theory building on previous related work and ‘‘it is no longer acceptable to begin with a problem statement, and provide insufficient theory or evidence.’’ The authors propose a larger study using similar methods. Nevertheless, future studies on learning facial dissection should be based on educational theory and utilize contemporary methods for testing competency. For educational research to be valid and clinically relevant, we as a community should expect the same rigorous methodology as in clinical research. In plastic and craniofacial surgery, the need for advanced surgical skills paired with work-hour restrictions calls for more educational research.