Mapping the literature of nephrology nursing

Objectives: A bibliometric investigation was done to identify characteristics of the literature that nephrology nurses utilize. It is one component of a broader study, ʹʹMapping the Literature of Nursing,ʹʹ by the Medical Library Associationʹs Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section Task Force to Map the Literature of Nursing. Methods: Following a standard protocol, this project utilized Bradfordʹs Law of Scattering to analyze the literature of nephrology nursing. Citation analysis was done on articles that were published from 1996 to 1998 in a source journal. Cited journal titles were divided into three zones, and coverage in major article databases were scored for Zones 1 and 2. Results: During the three-year period, journals were the most frequently cited format type. Eighty-one journals were cited in Zones 1 and 2. As Bradfordʹs Law of Scattering predicted, a small number of the cited journals accounted for the most use. Coverage is most comprehensive for cited journals in Science Citation Index, PubMed/ MEDLINE, and EMBASE. When looking just at cited nursing journals, CINAHL and PubMed/MEDLINE provide the best indexing coverage. Conclusion: This study offers understanding of and insights into the types of information that nephrology nurses use for research. It is a valuable tool for anyone involved with providing nephrology nursing literature.