From January to May 2012, we pursued a research project analyzing content themes from nurse educators' teaching philosophy statements. This was the first time that teaching philosophies were explored in the field of nursing education. Prior to this study, research on teaching philosophy statements had been limited to content analysis of teaching philosophies from other fields of study. To reach a wide range of participants across the United States, we decided to use an online survey to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. This case study outlines the chronological events of how we embarked on the research project, from choosing the research topic to research dissemination plans. We candidly present how our planned qualitative study shifted to emergent mixed-methods research and the lessons that we learned as the project shift occurred. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book.]