Explicit and implicit claims to truth and reality
in electronic media cannot easily be disputed. To
whom or what does one respond or carry concerns
about the content? A framework of non-nursing
values is engineered and deeply embedded in elec-
tronic information media. Conceptual frameworks
in the nurse’s mind provide the means of interfac-
ing and transforming these values embedded in the
electronic data bit (Carlton, Ryan, & Siktberg,
1998). The challenge for the nurse is to analyze,
The challenge for the nurse is to analyze,
evaluate, and transform non-nursing values
embedded in electronic media into a con-
ceptual framework of human values that
are realized in theory and actualized in
practice.evaluate, and transform non-nursing values em-
bedded in electronic media into a conceptual
framework of human values that are realized in
theory and actualized in practice.
The ubiquitous Web site—the most prolific and
transient of electronic data or resource locators to
which information seekers turn—is, for the most
part, unregulated. It exists at the will of the Web site
“owner.” Claims of “authority” and ownership of
those claims often cannot be traced or are not able
to be proven. According to Hebda, Czar, and
Mascara (1998), the authority of Web sites needs to
be evaluated and validated, unless the source can be
traced to a reputable institution such as in educa-
tion or government.
Criteria for evaluating Internet Web pages
abound (Harris, 1997; Howe, 2001; Tillman, 2003;
Wilson, 2002). Methods and tools for evaluating
and rating the quality of Web sites have been devel-
oped by a range of organizations (Rippen, 1999;
Wilson, 2002). Wilson classifies these tools into five
categories: codes of conduct, quality labels, user
guides, filters, and third party certification. While
these tools are generally applicable to health care
and commercial Web sites, they do not directly ad-
dress evaluation of the specialized content of nurs-
ing theory web pages.
In order to evaluate and substantiate resources
for nursing inquiry, such as theorist home pages
and nursing information Web sites, layers of elec-
tronic information must be peeled back to reveal
those authoritative nurse scholars, scientists, and
practitioners who are the sources of disseminated
nursing knowledge. Since no two nursing informa-
tion resources are exactly alike, guidelines for eval-
uation need to be flexible and adaptable.
The thoughtful nurse researcher should proceed
flexibly in the research and evaluation process
using “alternating rhythms” (Mayeroff, 1971, p. 21),
focusing back and forth between wider and nar-
rower frameworks to comprehend how one aspect
is connected with the whole. Evaluation may be un-
derstood as alternating between two overlapping
phases: The first phase is one in which technical de-
sign, organization, and aesthetic comportment of
the Web site are considered in relation to the con-
tent. The second phase comprises focused evalua-
tion on the reason for the Web site itself, that is, on
the nursing theory and its preparation.
Can nurses be sure of what they know subjec-
tively about theory resources? The response is
clearly affirmative. Nurses know in many different
ways, and when this knowing is recorded, shared,
and confirmed, it becomes nursing knowledge.
Understanding fundamental patterns of knowing
in nursing is a way to begin the process of illumi-
nating theory and research.How Do You Know
What You Know?FUNDAMENTAL PATTERNS OF KNOWING
As you proceed in your search, you will experience
several different patterns of knowing (Carper, 1975;
Mueller, 1953; Phenix, 1964). Each pattern or realm
describes different dimensions of the activity of
knowing and, like “a range of colors” (Mueller,
1953, p. 33), provides a rich panorama of your tal-
ents and potential. These fundamental patterns of
knowing are: personal, empiric, ethical, aesthetic
(Carper, 1978), symbolic, and integrative (or syn-
optic) (Phenix, 1964). These patterns of knowing
are fluid, recursive, and without discrete bound-
aries. You may be engaging in one or a blend of all
the knowing patterns at the same time.Personal Knowing
Personal knowing is understood as “the pattern
most fundamental to understanding the meaningCHAPTER 4 Evaluating Nursing Theory Resources 29