Advances in gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy have played an important role in improving the diagnostic and therapeutic options for physicians treating patients with GI diseases. Indeed, the advent of endoscopy transformed the field of Gastroenterology and contributed significantly to its emergence as a specialty separate from Internal Medicine and General Surgery. As the pace of technological progress has quickened, innovation in GI endoscopy has only accelerated, expanding the tools available to the practicing gastroenterologist. However, it remains essential that physicians examine technology with a critical eye to ensure that new devices or techniques are truly an improvement for patient care, both in terms of efficacy and safety. In addition, it is important that existing practices are frequently examined and critically reevaluated in order to deliver clinical care at the highest level of quality. For this reason, clinical research is a necessary component of the modern practice of medicine, a maxim that holds true for GI endoscopy as much as for any other field.