Rigor in PhD dissertation research

Recent reports from the Institute of Medicine document the increase in the number of nurses enrolled in doctoral education preparing for nurse scientist and leadership roles in the transformation of health care. This means that many doctoral students will acquire a knowledge of the research process, learn how to review and critique relevant literature, select appropriate research designs, and with the guidance of their dissertation chair and committee, design and conduct high quality, scholarly research studies that culminate in successfully defended doctoral dissertations. The health care profession expects that these dissertations, which include quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods, will contribute to the knowledge base of the nursing profession and advance improvement in clinical and public health outcomes in the populations served by the nursing profession. This article reviews the concept of rigor in research, the rationale for rigor, various approaches that increase rigor, and the associated concepts that strengthen a research study.