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The Nursing Research Process
Rebecca P. Winsett
Ann K. Cashion

This chapter on research in nursing was included in ANNA’s Career Fulfillment in Nephrology Nursing: Your Guide to Professional Development (2nd edition), which was published in September 2007.  This chapter encourages nurses to participate in the research process by providing an overview of the nursing research process, including the steps to designing a research project, and answers to frequently asked questions. The objectives of the chapter are to: (a) define the nursing research process, including the  systematic and universal knowledge concepts along with overviews of process improvement and evidence-based practice; (b) identify the steps to designing a research project, including identifying a clinical problem and formulating a research questions, conducting a review of the literature, and providing an overview of the research design; (c)  provide an overview of the study methodology, including data analysis and protecting human subjects; (d) discuss available funding opportunities and the professional obligations that go with these opportunities; and (e) provide answers to frequently asked questions regarding nursing research to help demystify the process.