Asking Advice for Nursing Research!

1. Pick a topic that is truly of interest to you so that you continue to be interested in it as you spend time with it.

2. Pick a topic for which there is already research published in reasonably accessible journals. Students often get themselves into trouble by picking a topic that seems cool to them -- but that has not been adequately studied yet to have a decent foundation of knowledge upon which to build. They then have a crisis because they can't find articles on their topic.

3. Pick a topic about which NURSES havve some control. Students get into trouble when they pick a topic and the possible interventions are all MEDICAL, not NURSING. Look at things that nurses do and have the authority to make decisions about.

Once you have identified a couple of general, vague ideas about a field of interest ... go to the library and browse some of the journals that focus about that field. See how many and what types of articles are available in that general field. Find out what the pertinent questions are within that field, etc. That should help you focus your thinking on areas that will be workable for you as a student and for which you will be able to find the resources you need to meet your school requirements.

Students cause problems for themselves when they pick a topic out of thin air only to find half-way through the project that they can't find what they need to meet their requirements. Avoid the problems by thinking about topics SIMULTANEOUSLY as you browse literature in fields that are of interest to you. That way, your choice will fit in well with the available literature.

It's usually better for students to report, analyze, replicate, and extend existing knowledge. Forging ahead with totally new fields is usually best left to people with research experience because it requires advanced skills that most students have not yet developed. So use the existing knowledge base to help you pick your topic.

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