Twenty-five years of research and new beginnings

Fitzpatrick, Joyce J.

doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2011.11.001

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Volume 25, Issue 1 , Page 1, February 2012

Twenty-five years of research and new beginnings

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This volume marks the 25th anniversary of Applied Nursing Research (ANR). In these past two and a half decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the nursing knowledge developed and disseminated both in the United States and globally. Funding for nurse scientists also has increased, and these scientists are recognized as full members of the academic community. As part of this volume, in tribute to the scholarship of the past and the inherent lessons for future researchers, we will profile some of the most significant studies published in ANR.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) also celebrated their 25th anniversary in the past year. The publication of the history and triumphs of NINR at the NIH provides a rich account of the assent of nursing research within the most prestigious scientific body (NINR, 2010). According to NINR, nursing science will embrace technology and information science in future research while embracing clinical research in such important areas as palliative and end of life care, areas in which NINR has provided research leadership within NIH. As NINR has evolved, so has ANR.

Now that we have reached this landmark anniversary, what will change with ANR? First, we are launching a new section, one focused on the application of theory to nursing research. Dr. Pamela Reed, a highly respected nurse theorist, joins ANR as editorial board member and theory section editor. As the number of doctoral students in professional doctoral programs has substantially increased in the past 5 years, particularly students in doctor of nursing practice programs in the United States, we have recognized the need to link theory, research, and clinical practice. We welcome your submissions to this new section and look forward to the health debate that will ensue regarding applied theories.

Another new feature will be the inclusion of “state of the science” papers. We welcome your submissions. Authors should provide a critical review of research in content areas that are of relevance to the broad ANR readership. We are particularly interested in research within the past decade and its application to practice. In the recent editorial in the highest ranking nursing research journal, International Journal of Nursing Studies, Griffiths and Norman (2011) highlight key content areas for inclusion in quality nursing research journals, for example, intervention research, particularly complex interventions in nursing and health care. Other areas of interest to ANR included end-of-life research and research that leads to positive practice environments and positive patient outcomes.

What has not changed in the past 25 years of publication of ANR is the mission and focus of the journal. ANR is a refereed research journal devoted to advancing nursing as a research-based profession. ANR is focused on bridging the gap between research and practice. Papers representing all clinical nursing specialties and nursing care delivery are invited. ANR is positioned to stir debate regarding topics of concern to all nurses, the topics that are at the very core of the clinical work that nurses do.

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