Understanding and evaluating historical sources in nursing history research

Pamela Wood

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

    9 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    All nurse researchers need to address, in the manner most appropriate to their research methodology, issues of quality related to their research material. This concern is not about the care needed in generating data, rather it relates to understanding and evaluating material that already exists. This article describes four historical sources relevant to the history of nursing in New Zealand and uses them to explain how nurse researchers can evaluate their research material. The dimensions of this evaluation are the provenance, purpose, context, veracity and usefulness of the historical sources. The article explains the questions that need to be addressed in each dimension of the evaluation. The different kinds of information available in the four historical sources are illustrated by references to individual nurses.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)25-33
    Number of pages9
    JournalNursing Praxis in New Zealand
    Volume27
    Issue number1
    Publication statusPublished - 2011

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