The power of the name.

An integral part of any research study is the assignment of names to phenomena of interest. The linguistic nuances accompanying names are frequently neglected, with a resulting significant affect on nursing research and on the tenor of nursing knowledge. Concept analysis is an important strategy for surmounting the difficulties associated with the process of choosing and modifying names. Examples of the naming process in two areas of nursing research are used to illustrate the influence of concept analysis on the development of nursing knowledge.