Electroencephalography (EEG) refers to the acquisition and graphical display of oscillating electrical potentials in the brain. EEG has established utility for confirming a diagnosis of epilepsy and for classifying seizure disorders, and it remains the only tool capable of reliably performing these assessments in the clinical setting. Given the complexity of cerebral electrophysiology, a foundational understanding of EEG instrumentation and neuroanatomy is necessary to translate neurophysiologic observations acquired through bedside EEG recordings into useful information in clinical practice. Given the prevalence of seizures, misinterpretation of EEG has resulted in significant, widespread, and often irreversible harm to patients, necessitating better education regarding normal and pathological EEG findings. An understanding of the strengths and limitations of EEG is essential for ensuring that EEG can be leveraged appropriately to generate excellent health outcomes. Broad efforts remain ongoing to harmonize reporting language and approaches to data acquisition with the intent of improving recording integrity, inter-rater reliability, and diagnostic accuracy in support of these objectives.