NUR 39000: Nursing Research: Qualitative Study from a Specific Journal

In order to access articles from a specific journal, such as Applied Nursing Research, you'll use the CINAHL database and follow these steps:

• In the CINAHL database look for the Publications link in the blue bar at the top of the page
• Using the 2nd search box (Browsing) type the name of the journal (ex. Applied Nursing Research) and click Enter.
• Select the correct journal title from the list by clicking the link
• On the Publication Detail page, choose a year in the right margin
• Select a volume you want to scan
• Browse the contents of that issue to find a qualitative study that looks interesting
• Click "Check for Full Text Availability"
• The system will find a PNW database that has the article in full text. Click on any blue link to Elsevier Science Direct, Journals@Ovid, Wiley Online, etc.
• Scan the list for your article title and click on the "PDF" link
• Check to see if article meets your assignment criteria (qualitative study, first author is nurse)
• Look for download arrow to save the article in PDF format

Quantitative research uses a variety of methods to achieve measurable, or quantifiable, results.
Qualitative research involves less tangible results, often dealing with perceptions, experiences, or opinions.

If a study's results are numerical and can be reported in terms of mean and median, it is quantitative.
If a study's results are reported in phrases, sentences, paragraphs, there would be no mathematical way to average them. This is qualitative research. Sometimes, even a quick glance at a study will show quotes in sentence or paragraph form, thus indicating a qualitative method. 

Here are a couple of examples of qualitative studies from Applied Nursing Research. Scroll quickly down the pages. Note how the first example uses indented blocks to indicate its results in quote form. The second example uses italicized paragraphs to display their results.