Nursing research projects published in the American Journal of Nursing in the first half of the 20th century consisted of educational projects and studies on cost-effective practice. Nurses began to investigate the effects of nursing care in the 1970s. Federal funding for nursing research began in 1985 with the establishment of the National Center for Nursing Research (NCNR) in the National Institutes for Health (NIH). The NCNR became the National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR) in 1993, thereby establishing nursing as a research-based discipline. The discipline of nursing has developed as a distinct body of knowledge both through research and through experience with clients.

Evidence-based practice is the integration of vast research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. Dr. Archie Cochrane developed evidence-based practice in the 1980s in England, noting that much of medical practice was based upon tradition rather than research. He conducted systematic literature reviews and published them through the Cochrane Centres for Systematic Reviews. The United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, has developed clinical practice guidelines for several clinical problems. The evidence-based practice movement in nursing has been led by the Joanna Briggs Institute for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery in Australia. Nurses at this institute have written Best Practice Information Sheets on clinical nursing topics.

Two main research paradigms (perspectives) are used in nursing research: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research design involves drawing conclusions under researcher-controlled conditions, using deductive reasoning, measurements, and statistical methods. Quantitative designs include descriptive studies, exploratory studies, survey methods, historical research, cross-section studies, longitudinal studies, retrospective studies, prospective studies, correlational design, and experimental design.

Descriptive studies describe a phenomenon of interest, whereas exploratory studies describe the phenomenon and try to identify contributing factors. The survey method entails asking individuals for responses to certain questions to obtain information from a representative sample. Historical research involves systematically collecting and critically evaluating data in the context of past events. Data are collected at one specific measurement point in cross-section studies. Longitudinal studies follow one particular research sample, collecting data over time. Retrospective studies involve reviewing existing data, such as medical records. In prospective studies, subjects are followed over a prolonged period of time, longitudinally. Correlational designs investigate the relationship of one variable to another. Quasi-experimental design is a modified experiment where control or randomization is not possible so that all subjects have exposure to the independent variable (presumed cause). In experimental design, the independent variable is tested against the dependent variable (presumed effect) in a controlled experience in which subjects are randomly assigned to a treatment or control group.

Qualitative research designs involve the systematic collection and consideration of data relating to humans’ interactions in and with the world, frequently involving interview data. Qualitative research is inductive and occurs in natural settings. Common qualitative research designs are the biographical method, the case study method, ethnography, ethnomethodology, grounded theory, and phenomenology. Ethnography, involving observation of behavior in the field, is the study of the meanings of action and events to the people being studied. Ethnomethodology provides interpretive descriptions of occurrences in a particular social world. Grounded theory is concerned with exploring social processes as they occur within human interactions. Phenomenology is a philosophical approach in which the research explores how we know what we know (epistemology) and what the meaning of existence is (ontology).

A literature review is conducted to support the need for a particular research project. Ideally, a nurse researcher should consult both published and unpublished materials to develop a research proposal. Sources of information include databases, such as CINAHL or Medline; databases of abstracts for unpublished studies; systematic reviews related to evidence-based practice; and conference abstracts. Literature should be reviewed critically, with the purpose of supporting ideas with results of well-planned studies.

The development of a research proposal requires articulating a research problem and question(s), followed by a plan for addressing the question, including sampling, measurement, data collection, data analysis, results, and application and implication for nursing. Possible research subjects must give their informed consent for the research to be conducted. Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) protect subjects during the research process, including vulnerable groups such as children, the confused elderly, and unconscious clients. Completed research is submitted to an appropriate nursing journal. Published research reports should then be applied in practice. Research utilization is facilitated if the application to practice is clearly stated and supported by management.

In the future, nurses will be more aware of the need to use research to improve care. They will use Internet and electronic mail technology to collaborate with each other and with other members of the health care team to improve care through research.