Research methods vary by discipline; most publishing, however, tends to move through a standard cycle, especially in the sciences.  Having some familiarity with this cycle and with the wide variety of available information resources should help as you try to find information relevant to the field of Nursing. 

A literature search to discover these resources moves through a process, from developing your topic, to identifying relevant literature, to citing your sources.  Good search skills will lead to discovery of what is already known about your topic, whether your problem or question is significant, whether or not it can be supported or corroborated, who the experts are in your particular field, and what about your topic needs further study. 

In this brief lesson, you will:

A. Become acquainted with the research publishing cycle
B. Learn about steps in the literature search