Objective: To determine the "State of the Science" of Nursing Research through an content analysis of the first 2 decades of publications within the Annual Review of Nursing Research, Volumes 1-20 (1983-2002).
Design: Content analysis of the themes embedded within the ARNR chapters.
Population, Setting, Sample, Years: All chapters published within the Annual Review of Nursing Research, Volumes 1-20, 1983-2002.
Concepts and Variables Studied: Nursing intervention research; Health systems research; major life transitions research; health promotion and disease prevention research; major life transitions research.
Methods: Each chapter that was published in ARNR Volumes 1 through 20 (n=225) was analyzed for content related to the above themes. Chapter content was categorized based on the predominant theme within the chapter. Notations were made of chapters that contained more than one basic theme and chapters with content different from these predominant themes, e.g., chapters that were focused on international nursing research.
Findings: There has been a significant change in the content of nursing research (as reflected in the themes contained in Volumes 11-20 compared to Volumes 1-10) toward research focused on nursing interventions in health and illness. Also noted was the development of more specificity in the research content in Volumes 11-20, compared to Volumes 1-10.
Conclusions: Nursing science and research has developed significantly in the past 20 years, toward more targeted interventions focused both on health promotion and illness management and prevention.
Implications: This body of research forms a sound basis for evidence-based practice and education, and reflects a synthesis of the knowledge formation in nursing
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