for research methods, designs, or settings; tradi-
tional literature review
national level Collaboration among nurses
throughout the country to effect practice changes
Nazi experiments An example of unethical re-
search using human subjects during World War II
negative case analysis A qualitative strategy
involving the analysis of cases that do not fit
patterns or categories
negatively skewed A distribution when the
mean is less than the median and the mode; the
longer tail is pointing to the left
nesting A strategy best used when a search
contains two or more Boolean operators
networking Interacting with colleagues to
exchange information and build relationships
network sampling Recruitment of participants
based on word of mouth or referrals from other
participants; snowball sampling
nominal The lowest level of measurement
whereby data are categorized simply into groups;
categorical data
nondirectional hypothesis Statement of the
relationship among two variables that does not
predict the direction of the relationship
nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest
design A quasi-experimental design where
two groups are measured before and after an
intervention
nonequivalent groups posttest-only design A
preexperimental design involving two groups
measured after an intervention with little control
for extraneous variables
nonexperimental designs Research designs that
lack manipulation of the independent variable
and random assignment
nonparametric Inferential statistics involving
nominal- or ordinal-level data to make inferences
about the population
nonprobability sampling Sampling methods
that do not require random selection of elements
nonpropositional knowledge The art of nursing
or knowledge that is obtained through practice
nonsignificant When results of the study could
have occurred by chance; findings that support
the null hypothesis
normal distribution Data representation with
a distinctive bell-shaped curve, symmetric about
the mean
null hypothesis A hypothesis stating that there
is no relationship between the variables; the statis-
tical hypothesis
Nuremberg Code Ethical code of conduct for
research that uses human subjects
nursing outcomes Measures of states, behaviors,
or perceptions of individuals, families, or commu-
nities as they relate to nursing and health
Nursing Quality Indicator Outcomes of
nursing care, identified by the American Nurses
Association, that address patient safety and
quality of care
nursing-sensitive outcomes Results that demon-
strate the effectiveness of nursing care
obligations Requirements to act in particular
ways
observation A technique to gather data
odds ratio The statistic reported when
epidemiologists conduct a case-control study
one-group posttest-only design A preexperi-
mental design involving one group and a posttest
with little control over extraneous variables
one-group time series design A quasi-
experimental design where one group is measured
prior to administering the intervention and then
multiple times after the intervention
open coding The grouping of qualitative data
into categories that seem logical
operational definitions Definitions that
explicitly state how the variable will be measured
or operationalized; empirical definitions
ordinal A continuum of numeric values where
the intervals are not meant to be equalGLOSSARY 523