The value of qualitative research is often tempered by inappropriate use of methods and findings. Ways to enhance its utility include improving practice and critique, conducting secondary data analyses and qualitative metasyntheses, and finding valid, innovative ways to re-present findings. (SK)

Research interest groups may be a desirable option for individuals in nursing education and service who have not previously conducted research in a particular clinical area. Team efforts are part of the growing attention now being paid to balancing individual and collective interests. (Author/JOW)

Nursing intervention studies are much needed. However, careful delineation of independent variables and protocols is necessary to ensure the validity of results. (SK)

Differentiates positivist qualitative research from nonpositivist approaches (descriptive/phenomenological, interpretive/hermeneutic, and discourse analysis). (SK)

It is questionable whether research funding goals are truly driven by the most pressing societal problems. Women are not systematically included in studies where the results would have benefited them. Nurses should include women as appropriate in their research and influence organizations to maintain nonsexist research agendas. (JOW)

Examines peer review in the National Institutes of Health and in scholarly journals and discusses limitations--time, paperwork, subjectivity, limited resources, and increased instances of misconduct and unethical behavior. Suggests reforms: eliminate anonymity, use review specialists, have institutions monitor their own faculty, and conduct…

Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of the quality of nursing care. However, it raises numerous dilemmas: lack of consistent conceptualization and a theoretical framework, lack of reliable measurement approaches, and inconsistency of instruments. (SK)

Scientific fraud is often a result of misguided attempts to attain professional success. To prevent fraud in nursing research, researchers should be socialized in an atmosphere of professional integrity, have established researchers as role models, and be rewarded for quality rather than quantity. (SK)

Professional practice is built on sound knowledge specific to each discipline. This knowledge is developed and validated through a process of scientific investigation or research. However, lack of knowledge about the research process acts as a barrier to applying evidence-based practice within the school setting. Understanding the components that…

Proposes the triangulation of two qualitative research methods, hermeneutics and grounded theory, to illuminate clinical realities that elude alternative approaches. Discusses how hermeneutics reveals perceptual information about the uniqueness of shared meanings and common practices, and how grounded theory provides a conceptual framework useful…