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nursing and midwifery knowledge. The necessity to test or build theory is another source of research ideas and/or questions. Theory is an explanation of how a phenomenon operates and why. Theory serves the purpose of making sense out of current knowledge by integrating and summarising what is currently known. Theory building goes beyond what is currently known and attempts to suggest new relationships and make new predictions. New research studies can confirm or disconfirm nursing and midwifery theory. Identifying a research idea or problem does not mean that this will be the exact focus of your research study, because the issue may have already been researched sufficiently for theory to become accepted practice. Alternatively, you may have identified a broad topic area from experience or observations of everyday practice, from previous research or from existing theory that now requires a different or innovative approach to investigation. Identification of the research topic is the beginning of the sequential process that leads to the ch_01.indd 12 13/09/2013 16:24 Understanding the language of research 13 generation of the research question and culminates in the design of the research study. Refining the research question and designing the research study require a review of the research literature. The literature review Once the research topic has been identified, the next stage is to find out what is already known about the area to be investigated. The aim here is to refine the topic into a researchable question, to ensure that the research study will add to what is known about the issue, and to avoid repeating the limitations of previous research studies. Reading and reviewing the literature to find out what is known about a subject can involve a number of sources, such as previous research studies published in academic journals, anecdotal accounts of practice, or textbooks and documentary sources. Reference can also be made to sources such as radio, television and audiovisual media, such as slides and photographs. Online databases are a good source of information, as are Internet sources. However, the researcher should exercise caution and maintain a degree of scepticism regarding the validity and reliability of online sources until the quality of the material can be verified. Cross-checking and referring to sources other than the Internet (for example published papers), is one way of doing this. The literature review also serves the purpose of providing a rationale for a research study. Researchers may claim that the reason for undertaking research is that little or no research exists in a particular area. In this case, the literature review provides evidence that this is in fact the case, with literature cited that relates to the proposed study, but drawn from a broader subject area. The researchers are then able to justify the need for more focused research. A further reason for undertaking a literature review is to provide a context for the proposed research. In this case, the literature review locates the current study within the context of what is already known in the subject area. The value of information to a given research study depends on whether it is a primary or secondary source. Original literature is a primary source: for example, a government report or textbook, or where the researcher has access to the original publication of a research study. Secondary sources are those where a person other than the person who undertook the original research reports on research. Both sources are useful. However, it is important where ch_01.indd 13 13/09/2013 16:24 Research skills for nurses and midwives 14 possible to draw on primary sources, as secondary sources may misinterpret, misreport or distort the original literature. Where it is not possible to acquire the primary source, secondary sources are useful in shedding light on or conveying the essence of the original source. The researcher must make it clear, using recognised referencing techniques, whether sources of material are primary or secondary, and should as far as possible avoid over-using secondary sources. The extent of a literature review depends on the target audience. For example, the review might be undertaken as part of original research for a programme of study, such as a Master’s degree or a PhD. In these circumstances, the extent of the literature review is constrained by convention. In externally funded research projects the extent of the literature review may be determined by available resources and the requirements of funding bodies. Researchers will not be able to write about all the literature concerning a subject and will need to make a judgement regarding what must be included, what could be included, and what can reasonably be omitted. In most cases there will be literature that is integral to the proposed research and is deemed a classic text, the omission of which would seriously affect the integrity of the review. In most literature reviews, the researchers refer to the scope of the review, indicating the period it covers, the countries covered and any other distinguishing features of the review. We note here that some research studies consist entirely of a systematic review of the literature, whereby the researcher reviews and evaluates what is already published in a given area. Systematic reviews are an accepted research approach and can
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