Nursing research--taking an active interest

This paper discusses the issues raised by the still unfolding transformation of nurse education attitudes to research, from the traditional stance--that it was something that other people do--to the realization that quality research is central to the development of the profession and its competitive survival into the 21st century. In particular, the problems and challenges presented by the Higher Education Funding Council for England research assessment exercise, and the policy of the funding council, are examined. Research in schools of nursing is reviewed under the headings of funding, contracts, support, discipline, publication and staff recruitment and retention, to attempt to identify those approaches most likely to yield a research output of an acceptable volume and quality.