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NUR 610 - Seminar in Nursing Research

Quantative Research Designs Resources

Quantitative research is concerned with precise measurement, replicability, prediction, and control. It includes techniques and procedures such as standardized tests, random sampling and/or assignment, tests of statistical significance, and causal modeling. It may be preceded by descriptive pilot studies that are preliminary steps to a subsequent experimental or correlational study.

Quantitative studies have one or more of the following properties:

  1. Adoption of the hypothesize–test–rehypothesize sequence that is characteristic of ‘the’ scientific

  2. Emphasis upon structured and objective measuring

  3. Extensive use of numbers to reflect the measurements and to summarize the

  4. An emphasis on causality.

See:  Quantitative research. (2011). In Dictionary of nursing theory and research

  •  Statement of purpose—what was studied and why.
  •  Description of the methodology (experimental group, control group, variables, test conditions, test subjects, etc.).
  •  Results (usually numeric in form presented in tables or graphs, often with statistical analysis).
  • Conclusions drawn from the results.
  •  Footnotes, a bibliography, author credentials.
Hint: the abstract (summary) of an article is the first place to check for most of the above features. The abstract appears both in the database's detail record and at the top of the full-text article.