From methodology to method: the building blocks of research literacy

Last year, the British Journal of Nursing published a series of articles outlining some of the major concepts underpinning the research process. This article is the first in a second series which will develop further a number of themes. This series begins with a description of broad methodological approaches before moving on to consider specific methods. The main aim is to assist nurses to improve their research literacy so that they may become more informed and critical readers of research. Before beginning the series proper this article identifies some of the main barriers to research utilization and argues that, in order to overcome these barriers, both decision-driven and knowledge-driven approaches are required.