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Graduate Nursing Research

This guide will help you locate resources for your class on nursing evidence-based research.

How to Identify a Topic

Choosing a topic is your first challenge. Here are some tips to help you choose a topic for your research assignment:

  • Choose a topic you are interested in. It is much easier to do research if you care about the topic you choose.
     
  • Narrow your topic appropriately. A topic that is too broad makes it hard to narrow the research you find to relevant information. A topic that is too narrow will not give you enough research to explore.
     
  • Review the guidelines given in your assignment handout. Always feel free to ask your instructor for assistance in choosing a topic.
     
  • Refer to notes and textbooks from a class to review content and possibly spark an idea for a topic.
     
  • Talk about research ideas with a friend or classmate. Discussing your ideas can help you focus them into an appropriate topic.
     

Once you have chosen a topic, begin researching. See if you can find information related to your topic or seek assistance from a librarian. Doing preliminary research can help you narrow a broad topic or can show you if your topic is too narrow.

Developing a Research Question

Now, develop a research question to help you focus your information seeking. To form a research question, ask the 4 W's:

  • When? When is/was your topic important? Is it a current event or a historical issue? Do you want to compare different time periods?
  • Where? Where is your topic important: locally, nationally, or internationally? Are specific places affected by this topic?
  • What? What are the major questions surrounding this topic? Is there a debate? Are there different viewpoints to consider?
  • Who? Who is affected by this topic? Who are the information providers?

Example Research Question

Say that you want to choose a topic related to obstetrics and/or prenatal care. Now we need to find a more narrow topic within this broad area. To do this, ask the 4 W's:

  • When?
  • Where?
  • What?
  • Who?

So say you choose:

  • The last 5 years
  • USA
  • Obesity factors
  • Toddlers

Form this information into a question:

What maternal factors are associated with obesity in toddlers?