Nursing Research
Comprehensive Quiz Guide: 100 % Verified Questions with Answers
Section 1: Research Fundamentals (Questions 1-15)
1. What is nursing research?
• Answer: Systematic inquiry designed to develop trustworthy evidence
about issues of importance to nurses and their patients. Generates
knowledge to improve nursing practice, patient outcomes, healthcare
systems, and nursing education. Uses scientific methods to answer
questions or solve problems. Essential for evidence-based practice,
professional development, and advancing nursing as a science and
profession.
2. What is the difference between basic and applied research?
• Answer: Basic research: generates fundamental knowledge, tests theories,
expands understanding without immediate practical application (e.g.,
studying cellular responses to stress). Applied research: addresses practical
problems, tests interventions, directly applicable to practice (e.g., testing
fall prevention protocol). Most nursing research is applied. Both types
valuable; basic research provides foundation for applied research.
3. What is the scientific method?
• Answer: Systematic, logical approach to discovering knowledge through
observation and experimentation. Steps: identify problem, review
literature, formulate hypothesis, design study, collect data, analyze data,
interpret results, communicate findings. Characteristics: empirical (based on
observation), objective, systematic, controlled, replicable. Foundation of
research process. Ensures rigor and credibility of findings.
4. What is a research problem?
, • Answer: Area of concern, gap in knowledge, or troubling situation requiring
investigation. Identifies what needs to be studied. Sources: clinical practice,
literature, theory, social issues, priorities identified by funding agencies.
Should be: significant (important to nursing), researchable (can be studied
empirically), feasible (time, resources, ethical considerations), of interest to
researcher. First step in research process.
5. What is a research question?
• Answer: Specific query researcher wants to answer through systematic
investigation. Guides entire research process. Characteristics: clear, focused,
complex enough to require investigation, answerable through data
collection. Format varies by design: descriptive ("What is...?"), relational
("What is relationship between...?"), causal ("What is effect of...?"). Should
specify population, variables, and sometimes setting. Flows from research
problem.
6. What is a hypothesis?
• Answer: Predicted answer to research question; formal statement of
expected relationship between variables. Based on theory or previous
research. Types: Research/alternative hypothesis (H1) predicts relationship
exists; Null hypothesis (H0) predicts no relationship. Directional hypothesis
specifies direction of relationship (positive/negative); Non-directional
doesn't. Used in quantitative research. Tested through statistical analysis.
Not all studies have hypotheses (exploratory research).
7. What is the purpose of literature review?
• Answer: Critical summary of research on topic of interest. Purposes:
determine what is known/unknown, identify gaps in knowledge, refine
research problem, justify significance, guide methodology, provide context
for findings, avoid duplication, identify theoretical frameworks. Conducted
before study (to plan) and after (to interpret findings). Should be
comprehensive, systematic, critical, current. Synthesizes rather than just
summarizes sources.
, 8. What is the difference between conceptual and operational definitions?
• Answer: Conceptual definition: abstract, theoretical meaning of concept
(e.g., pain is "unpleasant sensory and emotional experience"). Operational
definition: specifies how concept will be measured/observed in study (e.g.,
pain measured by 0-10 numeric rating scale). Operational definitions enable
measurement, replication. Both needed: conceptual shows what you mean
theoretically, operational shows how you'll measure it practically.
9. What is a variable?
• Answer: Characteristic or attribute that varies among individuals or
situations. Independent variable (IV): presumed cause, manipulated by
researcher, predictor. Dependent variable (DV): presumed effect, outcome
measured, what changes in response to IV. Extraneous variables: factors
that could influence DV but aren't focus of study, need to be controlled.
Demographic variables: characteristics like age, gender. Variables can be
continuous (infinite values) or categorical (discrete categories).
10. What is the research process?
• Answer: Systematic series of steps in conducting research: (1) Identify
problem/question, (2) Review literature, (3) Develop theoretical framework,
(4) Formulate research question/hypothesis, (5) Select research design, (6)
Identify population/sample, (7) Develop data collection plan, (8) Conduct
pilot study (optional), (9) Collect data, (10) Analyze data, (11) Interpret
findings, (12) Communicate results, (13) Use findings in practice. Steps are
iterative, may overlap.
11. What is a theoretical framework?
• Answer: Conceptual structure of interrelated concepts guiding research.
Provides lens for viewing research problem, organizing study, interpreting
findings. Based on theory: set of interrelated concepts/propositions
explaining phenomena. Framework shows relationships between variables,
links to existing knowledge, explains why variables are related. Examples:
Comprehensive Quiz Guide: 100 % Verified Questions with Answers
Section 1: Research Fundamentals (Questions 1-15)
1. What is nursing research?
• Answer: Systematic inquiry designed to develop trustworthy evidence
about issues of importance to nurses and their patients. Generates
knowledge to improve nursing practice, patient outcomes, healthcare
systems, and nursing education. Uses scientific methods to answer
questions or solve problems. Essential for evidence-based practice,
professional development, and advancing nursing as a science and
profession.
2. What is the difference between basic and applied research?
• Answer: Basic research: generates fundamental knowledge, tests theories,
expands understanding without immediate practical application (e.g.,
studying cellular responses to stress). Applied research: addresses practical
problems, tests interventions, directly applicable to practice (e.g., testing
fall prevention protocol). Most nursing research is applied. Both types
valuable; basic research provides foundation for applied research.
3. What is the scientific method?
• Answer: Systematic, logical approach to discovering knowledge through
observation and experimentation. Steps: identify problem, review
literature, formulate hypothesis, design study, collect data, analyze data,
interpret results, communicate findings. Characteristics: empirical (based on
observation), objective, systematic, controlled, replicable. Foundation of
research process. Ensures rigor and credibility of findings.
4. What is a research problem?
, • Answer: Area of concern, gap in knowledge, or troubling situation requiring
investigation. Identifies what needs to be studied. Sources: clinical practice,
literature, theory, social issues, priorities identified by funding agencies.
Should be: significant (important to nursing), researchable (can be studied
empirically), feasible (time, resources, ethical considerations), of interest to
researcher. First step in research process.
5. What is a research question?
• Answer: Specific query researcher wants to answer through systematic
investigation. Guides entire research process. Characteristics: clear, focused,
complex enough to require investigation, answerable through data
collection. Format varies by design: descriptive ("What is...?"), relational
("What is relationship between...?"), causal ("What is effect of...?"). Should
specify population, variables, and sometimes setting. Flows from research
problem.
6. What is a hypothesis?
• Answer: Predicted answer to research question; formal statement of
expected relationship between variables. Based on theory or previous
research. Types: Research/alternative hypothesis (H1) predicts relationship
exists; Null hypothesis (H0) predicts no relationship. Directional hypothesis
specifies direction of relationship (positive/negative); Non-directional
doesn't. Used in quantitative research. Tested through statistical analysis.
Not all studies have hypotheses (exploratory research).
7. What is the purpose of literature review?
• Answer: Critical summary of research on topic of interest. Purposes:
determine what is known/unknown, identify gaps in knowledge, refine
research problem, justify significance, guide methodology, provide context
for findings, avoid duplication, identify theoretical frameworks. Conducted
before study (to plan) and after (to interpret findings). Should be
comprehensive, systematic, critical, current. Synthesizes rather than just
summarizes sources.
, 8. What is the difference between conceptual and operational definitions?
• Answer: Conceptual definition: abstract, theoretical meaning of concept
(e.g., pain is "unpleasant sensory and emotional experience"). Operational
definition: specifies how concept will be measured/observed in study (e.g.,
pain measured by 0-10 numeric rating scale). Operational definitions enable
measurement, replication. Both needed: conceptual shows what you mean
theoretically, operational shows how you'll measure it practically.
9. What is a variable?
• Answer: Characteristic or attribute that varies among individuals or
situations. Independent variable (IV): presumed cause, manipulated by
researcher, predictor. Dependent variable (DV): presumed effect, outcome
measured, what changes in response to IV. Extraneous variables: factors
that could influence DV but aren't focus of study, need to be controlled.
Demographic variables: characteristics like age, gender. Variables can be
continuous (infinite values) or categorical (discrete categories).
10. What is the research process?
• Answer: Systematic series of steps in conducting research: (1) Identify
problem/question, (2) Review literature, (3) Develop theoretical framework,
(4) Formulate research question/hypothesis, (5) Select research design, (6)
Identify population/sample, (7) Develop data collection plan, (8) Conduct
pilot study (optional), (9) Collect data, (10) Analyze data, (11) Interpret
findings, (12) Communicate results, (13) Use findings in practice. Steps are
iterative, may overlap.
11. What is a theoretical framework?
• Answer: Conceptual structure of interrelated concepts guiding research.
Provides lens for viewing research problem, organizing study, interpreting
findings. Based on theory: set of interrelated concepts/propositions
explaining phenomena. Framework shows relationships between variables,
links to existing knowledge, explains why variables are related. Examples:
