Nursing research is a diverse discipline which draws on methods and methodologies from across the social, behavioural and biomedical sciences. Few if any of the approaches to research used within nursing are unique; however, their application within the complex milieu of nursing care has frequently raised distinctive challenges and generated novel applications. Nursing Research Methods brings together seminal sources that illustrate both the origins and the state of the art of research in nursing. The editors draw on methodological sources from outside the discipline that are influential and have shaped nursing research as well as discussions and debates about the application of particular methods within the field.



The text is organised around a selection of 8-10 seminal studies which have been selected based on their significance and ability to represent the broad scope of the discipline. Studies are selected to provide a vehicle to cover key methods for nursing research and to represent some of the diversity of the research topics that constitute the discipline. Because of the wide international audience, the editors take a broad view of the 'family' of nursing to include health visiting, public health nursing and midwifery and nurse midwifery.