INTRODUCTION

The care provided by nurses must be based on up-to-date knowledge and researchthat supports the delivery of the highest standards of care possible. Nurses are developingtheir own professional knowledge base with strong foundations built onresearch. Nurses have a responsibility in some way to contribute to the development of the professions knowledge through research. Florence Nightingale is often seen as the very first nurse researcher. Her research inthe 1850s focussed on soldiers morbidity and mortality during the Crimean War. Nightingale identified research questions in practice and undertook a systematiccollection of data to try to find answers to the problems.Herresearch eventually ledto changes in the environment for sick people including cleanliness, ventilation, cleanwater and adequate diet. However, Nightingales contribution is seen as atypical withKirby (2004) pointing out that the development of nursing research in the UnitedKingdom really only started with the inception of the National Health Service(NHS) now the worlds largest publicly funded health service in the late 1940s.Prior to this, the development of nursing research had relied on a few highly determine dindividuals and was bound up with the professionalisation of nursing, the demands for suitable nurses, and the raising of educational standards for nurses.

SCOPE OF NURSING RESEARCH

Nursing research encompasses a wide scope of scientific inquiry including clinical research, health systems and outcomes research, and nursing education research. Clinical research, based on biological, behavioral, and other types of investigations, provides the scientific basis for the care of individuals across the life span and occurs in any setting where nursing care is provided. Health systems and outcomes research examine the availability, quality, and costs of health care services as well as ways to improve the effectiveness and appropriateness of clinical practice. Finally, nursing education research focuses on how students learn the professional practice and discipline of nursing as well as how to improve educational strategies to prepare clinicians and scientists The scope of nursing research is to strengthen the body of knowledge in nursing practice ,education and administration. Therefore the area or scope of nursing research may be classified in the following categories Research in nursing practice/ clinical research Research in nursing education Research in nursing administration

RESEARCH IN NURSING PRACTICE/ CLINICAL RESEARCHThe scope of clinical research ranges from acute to chronic care experiences across the entire life span; health promotion and preventive care to end-of-life care; and care for individuals, families, and communities in diverse settings. It is imperative for nursing research to take a farsighted approach in order to have greater impact in the future. For example, recent discoveries in the genetic basis of disease and behavior may help nurse scientists to develop more effective strategies to manage symptoms and tailor interventions. Nursing's expanded view of health emphasizes health promotion, restoration, and rehabilitation, as well as a commitment to caring and comfort. In this way, nursing research differs from biomedical research. The focus of biomedical science on the discovery of disease causation and cure is essential but not solely sufficient to improve health. Despite the dramatic successes of improved diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, improvements in overall health of the public require a broader approach. Some diseases are better prevented than treated, others simply cannot be cured, and suffering and irreversible changes such as aging are part of the human experience. Indeed, health can be far better maintained when it is viewed in the broader context of lifestyle, culture, and socioeconomics.Nurse researchers study how to assist individuals and groups as they respond to health and illness experiences (e.g., reducing side effects of illness and treatment) and address social and behavioral aspects of illness and quality of life. Much nursing research is biobehavioral in nature, seeking to understand the relationships among biological, behavioral, psychological, and sociological factors. These factors are integrated in all beings. For example, recent discoveries demonstrate that biological factors (e.g., genetic background, neuronal connections, and brain plasticity) affect behavioral factors and that behavioral interventions (e.g., diet and exercise) affect biological factors (e.g., cell functions).Complex problems in human health require interprofessional approaches. Nurses are uniquely qualified to lead and participate in interdisciplinary research teams because their education includes courses from all health-related disciplines (e.g., physiology, pharmacology, psychology, and sociology) and they focus on the integration of these disciplines in providing comprehensive care.

Some of the researchable area in nursing practice include the following Health promotion ,maintanence ,and disease prevention Smoking cessation for the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Patient safety and quality of health care 51. Frequency of medication errors in an emergency department of a large teaching hospital in southern Iran. 51. Frequency of medication errors in an emergency department of a large teaching hospital in southern Iran. Promotion and risk reduction interventions of health of vulnerable ,minority groups and marginalized community Effectiveness of foot and ankle exercise programs on reducing theriskof falling inolderadults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Patient centred care and care coordination Towardpatient-centered care: a systematic review of how to ask questions that matter to patient Promotion of health and well being of older people The effects ofhealtheducation on knowledge about Alzheimer's disease andhealth-promoting behaviours ofolderChineseadultsin anursinghome: A pilot study. Palliative and end of life care Palliativecareand quality of life for people with dementia: medical and psychosocial interventions. Development of evidence based practices and translational research Knowledge, Attitude and Use of Evidence-Based Practice amongnursesactive on the Internet. Evidence-basedassessment of acute pain in older adults: currentnursingpracticesand perceived barriers. Development of genetic testing and therapeutics The evidence base regarding the experiences of and attitudes to preimplantationgenetic diagnosis in prospective parents. Nurses working environment Workrelated stress, burnout, job satisfaction and general health ofnurses. [Perception ofnurseson the use of computer at thework]. What are the factors of organisational culture in health care settings that act as barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice? A scoping review Home care and community health nursing care practices Quality of life in people with cognitive impairment:nursinghomes versushome care. Treatment compliance and adherence to treatment The assessment of adherence of hypertensive individuals totreatmentand lifestyle change recommendations. Description of holistic nursing situations ; social ,cultural ,religious ,traditional and family practices ,which have health implications and fall under the nursing care . Ethical challenges when intensive care unit patients refusenursingcare: A narrative approach. Religiousperspectives on organ donation.

These are only few of subareas in nursing practice recommended by organization like INC , however research could be conducted on any of the topics which fall in the nursing domain.

RESEARCH IN NURSING EDUCATIONNursing education is another important area of nursing research where nurse researchers try to generate or refine the knowledge ,which is useful to improve the teaching learning methods and environment in nursing discipline. Nursing education research centers on developing and testing more efficient educational processes, identifying new ways to incorporate technology in order to enhance learning, and discovering more effective approaches to promoting lifelong learning and commitment to leadership. To achieve these goals, the use of rigorous research strategies in the assessment of the teaching-learning process and outcomes at all levels of nursing education is essential from baccalaureate and graduate education through. The continuous supply of well-educated nurses is critical to maintain and enhance our nation's health, especially in light of the changes in the demographics of the population. To this end, new strategies for recruiting and retaining bright young men and women from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds into nursing must be developed and tested. In addition, new models of nursing education are needed to prepare nurses for faculty and research positions earlier in their careers. These efforts must assume top priority if nursing research is to continue to evolve. The lack of recognition and funding for this type of research has greatly impaired progress in this area. There are several issues and subareas on which nursing research focus some of the priority areas are Testing the effectivity and efficiency of the old teaching methods /techniques ,and generating newer effective teaching tools and techniques. Effectiveness of patient simulation innursingeducation: Meta-analysis. [Theefficiencyof self-regulated learning in theteachingof scientific concepts to health sciences students Blended learning on medication administration for new nurses: integration of e-learning and face-to-face instruction in theclassroom Curriculum taught and learning experiences of nursing students at undergraduate and pOutcomes-basedcurriculumdevelopment and student evaluation innursingeducation.ostgraduate level. Developing a global curriculum in a school ofnursing. Enhancing the psychometric domain of learning among nursing students in clinical practices. Determining the effect of periodic training on the basic psychomotor skills ofnursing students. Knowledge use innursingpractice: the importance ofpracticalunderstanding and personal involvement. Extent of strict discipline required for the nursing students to improve their learning and education. Promoting clinical and classroom learning among nursing students. Bridging the gap: strategies to integrate classroom andclinicallearning. Refining and generating evaluation methods to judge the efficiency of teaching learning process. Performanceevaluationofnursing studentsfollowing competency-based education. Identifying and managing problems of absenteeism and lack of motivation among nursing students. Five reasons for thelackofnursing students'motivationto learn public health. Resolving any issue or phenomenon related to the teaching learning process of nursing students. Challenges to studentlearningin theclinicalsetting: a qualitative descriptive study.

RESEARCH IN NURSING ADMINISTRATION

Administration is one of the most difficult ,disciplines to manage. Similarly, nursing administration also encounters several problems which be solved. Therefore ,there are several main subareas of nursing administration which require investigation such as

Assessing existing organizational structure ,span of control ,communication ,staffing patterns, wages ,benefits ,performance evaluation practices ,etc.and their effectiveness. In addition, developing new knowledge or refining the old knowledge regarding nursing administration phenomena. Developing and testing different administrative model to enhance swift administration employees, and customer satisfaction. Retention and effective use of nursing personnel in providing the quality of nursing care. Eg;Why oldernursesleave the workforce and the implications of them staying. Employee satisfaction. Eg; Work related stress, burnout,job satisfactionand general health ofnurses. Measures to reduce the workload of the staff nurses eg; Projects for increasingjob satisfactionand creating a healthy work environment. Health problems of nursing personnel. Eg; Healthproblemsreported by nursing workers in a public hospital of Bahia]. Measure to prevent frequent turnover of the staff. Eg; Effects of role stress onnurses'turnoverintentions: The mediating effects of organizational commitment and burnout.

Analysis of the roles and responsibilities of the nurse practioner in various specialty Eg; Professionalresponsibilitiesfor treatment of patients with Ebola: can a healthcare provider refuse to treat a patient with ebola?Research Areas recommended by INCTopics may be selected from the following PHD research areas. Clinical intervention studies which will generate evidence based nursing practice. Practice standards in various nursing specialties. Nursing education measurement, evaluation of competencies, innovation in india. Teaching strategies. Manpower planning. Cost benefit analysis. Quality assurance in education and practice. Development of tools Testing of nursing theories and models and theory development. Impact studies, which are having policy implication for nursing education and service. Independent nursing practice

CONCLUSION The research has a vital role in improving the standards of nursing practice,nursing education and administration , it will help discover newer techniques in respective areas or finds the alternatives for existing problems. Nursing research worldwide is committed to rigorous scientific inquiry that provides a significant body of knowledge to advance nursing practice, shape health policy, and impact the health of people in all countries. The vision for nursing research is driven by the profession's mandate to society to optimize the health and well-being of populations . Nurse researchers bring a holistic perspective to studying individuals, families, and communities involving a biobehavioral, interdisciplinary, and translational approach to science. The priorities for nursing research reflect nursing's commitment to the promotion of health and healthy lifestyles, the advancement of quality and excellence in health care, and the critical importance of basing professional nursing practice on research.

BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Nursing research building evidence for practice, DR.R.Bincy ,viva publications ,2012 Page no 16-18.

2. Nursing research and statistics ,suresh sharma ,Elsevier publication ,2011page no 19-22.

3. Nursing research ,B.T Basavanthappa ,second edition ,jaypee publicationPage no 12-14.

4. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/nursing-research.

5. http://www.ninr.nih.gov/ninr/news-info/Rudyshow.

6. http://www.indiannursingcouncil.org/phd-nursing.asp?show=phd-rsch