DNP Evidence-Based Practice Project: Library Resources: Nursing Theories

Articles from scholarly journals provide in-depth research on nursing theories. To locate articles that apply nursing theory to research and practice, consult the CINAHL database.

Here are some tips on searching CINAHL for information on nursing theories:

• Do a Subject Heading Search (learn how here) for Nursing Theory or Theoretical Nursing Models.   
• Do an Author Search for articles written by a specific theorist (i.e. Friedemann M).
• Try a focused Subject Heading Search on the specific theory you need. CINAHL has several subject headings for different theoretical models including Orem Self-Care Model, Roy Adaptation Model, Watson's Theory of Caring, etc. 
• To narrow down your search, combine a nursing theory subject heading with another subject heading. For example, if you need information on Orem's Self-Care Model theory as it relates to research on patients with cancer, use the Boolean operator AND to combine the two individual subject headings of Orem Self-Care Model AND Cancer Patients.  

Books are a great place to start for finding information on nursing theory. The Mulford Library holds several nursing theory books that you can check out.  Most nursing theory books can be found in the WY86 call number range on the 4th floor. To locate a specific nursing theory book, search the online catalog.  It is recommended that you search the catalog any one of the following ways:

• Author Search - to find books or book chapters written by a specific theorist; i.e. Leininger, Madeleine or Orem, Dorothea.
• Title Search - enter the title of a specific work on nursing theory; i.e. Nursing: Concepts of Practice
• Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) Search - to find books on the subject of nursing theory; some good subject headings to try include Models, Nursing or Nursing Theory.
• Keyword Search - If any of the above searches do not yield results, try entering different keywords. Keyword searching can be helpful when trying to pinpoint books that contain information on a specific theory; i.e. "Roy Adaptation Model"

We also have a growing collection of e-books which include titles on nursing theory.  After conducting a search in the catalog using any of the above steps, click on Limit/Sort Search at the top of the search results page, select E-BOOK in the Material Type menu, and click Submit. 

Specific Theorists & Theories

Nursing Theory (General)