Communication of research and practice knowledge in nursing literature

Background: Previous research did not indicate whether communication occurred between the research and practice components of nursing knowledge. Objectives: This study was designed to examine the extent of communication between or within the nursing-research and nursing-practice components of the nursing literature. Methods: Specific citing/cited relationships from the Current Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) are analyzed using citation analysis. The sample was taken from the population of indexed documents that contained references, that had the subject code of nursing, and that were originally published in the United States or Canada in 1989. Results: The results show that authors of research articles tend to cite research articles more often than practice articles, and that authors of practice articles tend to cite practice articles more often than research articles. Authors with research degrees publish research articles more often than would be expected by chance, and authors with clinical and undergraduate degrees publish practice articles more often than expected. Authors associated with research institutions tend to publish research articles, and those affiliated with service institutions tend to publish practice articles. Most cited documents (69.4%) are from disciplines other than nursing. Conclusions: The existence of communication between the research and the practice component of nursing knowledge was demonstrated and appears to be more prevalent than previously indicated. Further research on how the cited literature is used would enable us to know about the depth and quality of the communication event and to note variations as the body of nursing knowledge evolves.