[Phenomenology: an alternative to nursing-research]

One of the methodological ways that can be used in research is phenomenology, that originated as a movement inside philosophy, being also applied in human sciences. In nursing, the application of phenomenology also represented a search for a methodological alternative in research. The proposal of this work is to contribute with some theoretical subsidies to the comprehension of phenomenological referentials. Initially this work presents some basic ideas of the phenomenology, as a philosophical branch, treating it as a methodological alternative in research, and approaching its utilization by nurses, as a methodology of investigation.