Adela Yarcheski1, Noreen E Mahon. 1. Upsilon Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Professor College of Nursing Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Newark, New Jersey, 07102.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To assess author credentials of quantitative research in nursing, the composition of the research teams, and the disciplinary focus of the theories tested. DESIGN: Nursing Research, Western Journal of Nursing Research, and Journal of Advanced Nursing were selected for this descriptive study; 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 were included. The final sample consisted of 484 quantitative research articles. FINDINGS: From 1990 to 2010, there was an increase in first authors holding doctoral degrees, research from other countries, and funding. Solo authorship decreased; multi-authorship and multidisciplinary teams increased. Theories tested were mostly from psychology; the testing of nursing theory was modest. Multidisciplinary research far outdistanced interdisciplinary research. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative nursing research can be characterized as multidisciplinary (distinct theories from different disciplines) rather than discipline-specific to nursing. Interdisciplinary (theories synthesized from different disciplines) research has been conducted minimally. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study provides information about the growth of the scientific knowledge base of nursing, which has implications for practice.
PURPOSE: To assess author credentials of quantitative research in nursing, the composition of the research teams, and the disciplinary focus of the theories tested. DESIGN: Nursing Research, Western Journal of Nursing Research, and Journal of Advanced Nursing were selected for this descriptive study; 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 were included. The final sample consisted of 484 quantitative research articles. FINDINGS: From 1990 to 2010, there was an increase in first authors holding doctoral degrees, research from other countries, and funding. Solo authorship decreased; multi-authorship and multidisciplinary teams increased. Theories tested were mostly from psychology; the testing of nursing theory was modest. Multidisciplinary research far outdistanced interdisciplinary research. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative nursing research can be characterized as multidisciplinary (distinct theories from different disciplines) rather than discipline-specific to nursing. Interdisciplinary (theories synthesized from different disciplines) research has been conducted minimally. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study provides information about the growth of the scientific knowledge base of nursing, which has implications for practice.