Introduction
ffehr
Becoming a Research Literate Nurse
Welcome! You’re about to embark on a journey to think, question, and engage with nursing knowledge like a research literate professional. This textbook is designed to make research approachable, practical, and even enjoyable, combining clear explanations, visual summaries, interactive checklists, videos, and avatars that guide you through key concepts.
Why this textbook is different:
· It was co-created by nursing students and educators who know what it’s like to learn research in the Canadian nursing context.
· It blends scholarly rigour with real-world relevance, so you can see how research improves nursing practice.
· You’ll learn to critically evaluate evidence, ask meaningful questions, and apply knowledge in practice, developing skills that go far beyond memorization.
Purpose of the Open Education Resource
The purpose of this textbook is to support undergraduate nursing students in developing research literacy, the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, and apply research evidence to nursing practice.
By the end of your journey, you will be able to:
· Apply multiple ways of knowing in nursing practice
· Communicate ideas and findings using a variety of scholarly formats
· Distinguish models of inquiry and analytical approaches
· Formulate questions that arise from nursing practice
· Demonstrate critical thinking to support evidence-informed practice
· Develop an academic argument and support it with evidence
· Locate, interpret, and evaluate information and knowledge to inform nursing practice
· Understand the interconnectedness of Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing within local laws, language, lands, and health
In short, this textbook will help you become a confident, thoughtful, and research literate nurse, ready to engage with evidence and contribute to nursing knowledge throughout your career.
Core Concepts
To guide your learning, content is organized around key concepts that reflect the philosophical foundations of nursing scholarship:
Ethics: moral reasoning, personal “moral compass,” and values in nursing inquiry
Environment of Inquiry: history, philosophy, social practices, language, and discourse shaping nursing knowledge
Inquiry & Conceptual Frameworks: models, theories, and frameworks to guide research and practice
Personal Meaning: ontology and epistemology, reflection on what it means to know and understand
Informatics: the influence of technology on knowledge development and management
Indigenous Knowledge: valuing diverse ways of knowing, understanding, and being
Power & Power Relations: how societal, cultural, and ethical influences shape nursing knowledge
Meet the Team
This textbook was developed by a collaborative team of students and educators who are passionate about making research engaging and meaningful:
Florriann Fehr: Associate Professor, School of Nursing: brings expertise in community health, research mentorship, and evidence-informed practice. Corresponding author, forward any questions, comments or complaints to Ffehr@tru.ca.
Tracy Christianson: Acting Dean, School of Nursing: brings leadership in nursing education and curriculum innovation
Ime Stavinga, BScN Student: helped design explanations and examples that resonate with first-time research learners, master video director and photographer
Katie Gregson, BScN Student: contributed to student perspectives and accessibility of content, digital designer extraordinaire!
Together, this team has crafted a resource that encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and the joy of inquiry.
Media Attributions
- Florrian Fehr, Tracy Christianson, Ime Stavinga and Katie Gregson avatars by Research Assistant Katie Gregson on Canva using Canva AI image creation https://www.canva.com/ai-assistant/ are subject to the Canva Pro Content License.