Research
What is Research?
Research is a systematic process used to develop new knowledge. It is often undertaken when no evidence, weak, conflicting, or incomplete evidence is returned during the search phase of an EBP project. Research requires approval by an institutional review board (IRB) as the intent is to generalize knowledge beyond the usual care of the patient or setting. (Polit & Beck 11th ed.)
Quantitative Research
Qualitative Research
Mixed Methods Research
How do I get involved in research at JHHS?
As a nurse, there are opportunities to get involved in research. First, begin with curiosity in your clinical practice. Are there problems, gaps, or patterns that you’ve noticed? Second, review the existing literature to understand what the gaps are in our understanding of the phenomenon. Third, discuss your thoughts and findings with colleagues, leadership, and researchers to aid in refining your research question.
Where should I start?
Reach out to the CNI for help! Our research experts will help you develop your research question and outline the Nurse Investigator research process at JHHS.
How to become a Nurse Investigator at JHHS?
If you are a nurse at a JHHS affiliate, please use this resource to identify the requirements to become a principal investigator at JHHS.
Who can help me?
The Center for Nursing Inquiry can help you with research question creation, data management, and statistical analysis plans. We can even proofread your study protocol - which can be a huge asset, because all writing benefits from revision. This review is intended to enhance clarity and alignment across the protocol.The Welch Medical Library can help you explore the current state of the literature. You can find your informationist at the Welch Medical Library.
The Johns Hopkins Medicine Institutional Review Board (IRB) offers useful tutorials to help guide PIs and study team members through the electronic application system (eIRB). We strongly encourage new PIs and team members watch the tutorials. The IRB also offers templates for commonly used application forms, such as the appropriate eForm for the study type, informed consent and HIPPA authorization.
The Institute for Clinical Translational Research (ICTR) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported center that provides a wide array of consultation and resources to assist Hopkins researchers with their work, such as biostatistics consulting, study design consulting, ethics consulting, and more.
There are seven Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFAC) at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, comprised of patients, family members and hospital staff. Patients and their families are knowledgeable members of the care team and can offer unique perspectives and valuable feedback about their experience at a hospital. If your project will impact the patient experience, you may want to reach out to the appropriate PFAC.
When do I share my work?
Your project is complete. Now what? It’s time to share your project with the scholarly community.You can present your project at a local, regional, or national conferences by submitting an abstract. Poster and podium presentation templates are available in our Inquiry Toolkit, under Dissemination Tools.
To prepare your research project for publication, use the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR) network, an international initiative working to improve transparency and reliability in research by providing reporting guidelines for the main study types.
To learn more about sharing your project, please contact us at the CNI. We are available to help you write abstracts or manuscripts for publication.