A nurses’ guide to the critical reading of research

Objective
A sound theoretical foundation to guide practice is enhanced by the ability of nurses to critique research.  This article provides a structured route to questioning the methodology of nursing research.

Primary Argument
Nurses may find critiquing a research paper a particularly daunting experience when faced with their
first paper. Knowing what questions the nurse should be asking is perhaps difficult to determine when there may be unfamiliar research terms to grasp. Nurses may benefit from a structured approach which helps them understand the sequence of the text and the subsequent value of a research paper.