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Chapters

1. Introduction
2. Approaches to Nursing Research
3. Research Process
4. Ethical Consideration in Nursing Research
5. Review of Literature
6. Hypothesis and Estimation
7. Research instruments
8. Data Collection and Analysis
9. Statistics for Nurses
10. Reporting and Communicating Nursing Research
11. Writing Nursing Research Proposals
12. Nursing Research Terminology
13. References

REPORTING AND COMMUNICATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS

Research Report

The purpose writing research report is to document the research findings, to share the results with other interested groups, and apply the results in practice. It is a challenging job and requires imagination, creativity, and resourcefulness. The research report aims at telling the readers the problem identified, investigated and methods adopted, the results found and the conclusion reached. The highest standard of correct usage of word and sentences is expected.The outcome of the study should be presented in a way that the consumer should understand the findings. 

The results can be presented through written word or through various kinds of pictorial displays. Graphs and tables are the two common methods of communicating results.  Graphs are generally used to describe the data in question, and tables are used to summarize the findings (Brockopp &Hastings-Tolsma, 2003).  Criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of both graphs and tables include the clarity of the presentation, its conciseness, and its adequacy in conveying appropriate information (Wilson, 1987, p.295).  Bar graph, histogram, frequency polygon, pie diagram, pictorial charts are the common methods of displaying results diagrammatically.

Tables are generally used to summarize the meaningful results of a study. They should be numbered in sequence and are referred with in the text. Tables should be accompanied by factual, precise description of their meaning. Scientific writing is the presentation of a set of reasons in support of a thesis, or proposition. The format suggested by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, can be consulted for detailed matters of style (web address). A scientific report requires the same attention to good writing as does any other form of written persuasion. Key concepts are clarity, brevity, and felicity. Authors should be careful to avoid sexism and ethnic bias

References are cited in the text by author name and date of publication. Harvard style and Vancouver style are the commonly used methods of writing references. The reference list contains an entry for each work cited in the text, and no others. The parts of a paper are:

• (1) title,
• (2) authors and their affiliations,
• (3) abstract,
• (4) introduction,
• (5) method,
• (6) results,
• (7) discussion,
• (8) references,
• (9) footnotes,
• (10) tables,
• (11) figure captions, and
• (12) figures.

The title should convey the main idea of the paper in a few words.  The authors of the paper are listed in the order of the importance of their contributions.  The abstract is a brief summary of the paper and includes elements from the introduction, method, results, and discussion sections. The introduction states the general problem the paper deals with, discusses the relevant literature, and states what the paper will contribute to the understanding of the problem. The method section tells what you did in the experiment in such a way that another person can evaluate the validity of the conclusions of the study and can repeat it in all essentials.

The method section describes the subjects, apparatus, design, and procedure. The results section describes the results and their statistical analysis. Graphs and tables are described here. The discussion section interprets the results and relates them to the literature. It states the contributions that the study makes to the understanding of the problem posed in the introduction, and it deals with any weakness in the data or any qualifications of the conclusions.

Communicating Research Results

Scientific communication takes place in many ways, including archival publication in scholarly journals and informal communication among groups of scientists, known as invisible colleges. Research outcome needs to be shared with other professionals, regardless of the study’s outcome. The investigator can present the findings in an oral format (conference presentations) or written format (journals or scientific publications). Nursing is a relatively a new profession and the body of knowledge needs to be developed. Publication of research findings in international journals makes the findings of the study available to professionals of other countries. 

The investigator should decide the appropriate format for presenting the findings.The steps in the publication process include choosing the journal, submitting the final manuscript along with a cover letter, revising the paper to account for reviewers’ comments, resubmitting the paper, reviewing the copyedited manuscript and reading the page proofs.Oral presentations include most of the elements of the written paper in specified format. 

Practicing the talk before a sympathetic audience, preparing good visual aids, and speaking from an outline rather than reading the paper directly are keys to a good presentation.Poster presentations are an increasingly popular form of communicating results at scientific meetings. The various parts of the paper are placed on a vertical surface in such a way that they can be read from a distance of several feet. The author remains near the poster to discuss the results with passersby.

Research Utilization

Nursing research contribute positively to the health care system. Research utilization is the process of transferring research knowledge into practice, thus facilitating an innovative change in practice or the verification of existing practice protocols.  Knowledge about published materials and what other people have tried is vital when exploring  solutions to a problem. It is the professional responsibility of the nurses to determine the best practice, under what conditions, in which circumstances.

To enhance the integration of research and practice, nurses must have an organizational environment to in which enquiry and critical thinking are valued. Research utilization is helps in improving nursing practice by providing  process by answers to clinical questions, evaluating effectiveness of the nursing actins, testing theories relevant to nursing practice and expanding nursing  knowledge (Lanuza,1999).