Study Guide for Polit & Beck’s Nursing
Research: Generating and Assessing
Evidence for Nursing Practice, 12th
North American Edition (Flanagan, ISBN:
9781975223809) 2026/2027 updated
syllabus
Unit 1: Foundations of Nursing Research and Evidence-Based
Practice
1. What is the primary purpose of nursing research?
ANSWER ✓ To generate new knowledge that can be used to improve nursing practice,
patient outcomes, and healthcare systems.
2. Define evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing.
ANSWER ✓ EBP is the conscientious integration of the best research evidence with
clinical expertise and patient values and preferences to guide clinical decisions.
3. What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
ANSWER ✓ Inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to broad
generalizations (theory generation); deductive reasoning moves from general principles
to specific predictions (theory testing).
4. According to the 2026/2027 syllabus, which paradigm emphasizes objectivity,
measurement, and causality?
ANSWER ✓ Positivist paradigm (quantitative research).
5. What is the constructivist paradigm’s view of reality?
ANSWER ✓ Reality is multiple, subjective, and socially constructed; truth is context-
dependent.
, 6. What is a concept in nursing research?
ANSWER ✓ An abstract term representing a phenomenon (e.g., pain, resilience, quality
of life).
7. Name the four key elements of the PICOT question format.
ANSWER ✓ Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Time (PICOT).
8. What is the primary source of research questions in nursing?
ANSWER ✓ Clinical practice problems, gaps in existing literature, theory testing, and
patient concerns.
9. Define replication study and its importance in nursing.
ANSWER ✓ A replication study repeats a previous study to verify findings; it strengthens
evidence reliability and generalizability.
10. What is a conceptual framework in a research study?
ANSWER ✓ A set of interrelated concepts that provides a theoretical basis for the study.
Unit 2: Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Research
11. Name the three core ethical principles from the Belmont Report.
ANSWER ✓ Respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.
12. What is informed consent?
ANSWER ✓ A participant’s voluntary agreement to enroll in a study after being fully
informed of risks, benefits, and procedures.
13. Define vulnerable population in research ethics.
ANSWER ✓ Groups with diminished autonomy or increased risk of harm, e.g., children,
prisoners, pregnant women, cognitively impaired individuals.
14. What is the role of an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
ANSWER ✓ To review, approve, and monitor research involving human subjects to
protect their rights and welfare.
15. What is data fabrication?
ANSWER ✓ Making up research data or results and recording them as if they were real.
Research: Generating and Assessing
Evidence for Nursing Practice, 12th
North American Edition (Flanagan, ISBN:
9781975223809) 2026/2027 updated
syllabus
Unit 1: Foundations of Nursing Research and Evidence-Based
Practice
1. What is the primary purpose of nursing research?
ANSWER ✓ To generate new knowledge that can be used to improve nursing practice,
patient outcomes, and healthcare systems.
2. Define evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing.
ANSWER ✓ EBP is the conscientious integration of the best research evidence with
clinical expertise and patient values and preferences to guide clinical decisions.
3. What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
ANSWER ✓ Inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to broad
generalizations (theory generation); deductive reasoning moves from general principles
to specific predictions (theory testing).
4. According to the 2026/2027 syllabus, which paradigm emphasizes objectivity,
measurement, and causality?
ANSWER ✓ Positivist paradigm (quantitative research).
5. What is the constructivist paradigm’s view of reality?
ANSWER ✓ Reality is multiple, subjective, and socially constructed; truth is context-
dependent.
, 6. What is a concept in nursing research?
ANSWER ✓ An abstract term representing a phenomenon (e.g., pain, resilience, quality
of life).
7. Name the four key elements of the PICOT question format.
ANSWER ✓ Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Time (PICOT).
8. What is the primary source of research questions in nursing?
ANSWER ✓ Clinical practice problems, gaps in existing literature, theory testing, and
patient concerns.
9. Define replication study and its importance in nursing.
ANSWER ✓ A replication study repeats a previous study to verify findings; it strengthens
evidence reliability and generalizability.
10. What is a conceptual framework in a research study?
ANSWER ✓ A set of interrelated concepts that provides a theoretical basis for the study.
Unit 2: Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Research
11. Name the three core ethical principles from the Belmont Report.
ANSWER ✓ Respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.
12. What is informed consent?
ANSWER ✓ A participant’s voluntary agreement to enroll in a study after being fully
informed of risks, benefits, and procedures.
13. Define vulnerable population in research ethics.
ANSWER ✓ Groups with diminished autonomy or increased risk of harm, e.g., children,
prisoners, pregnant women, cognitively impaired individuals.
14. What is the role of an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
ANSWER ✓ To review, approve, and monitor research involving human subjects to
protect their rights and welfare.
15. What is data fabrication?
ANSWER ✓ Making up research data or results and recording them as if they were real.
