It is naïve to think that successful research, like any lifelong academic pursuit, can be reduced to a pithy, simplistic formula. Yet, after years of attempting to get it right and with still much to learn, it strikes me that successful research is comprised of certain indispensable elements. Based on considerable personal experience and reflection, I humbly offer the “Five Research C's”; their intent is to provide a framework for novice and expert investigators alike, to contemplate some of the basic constituents of empirical research.