Abstract
Not every published “study” is a research report. Authors of quality-improvement or evidence-based practice reports may use that term to refer to their work, but can we use their results to inform our practice in the same way that research findings do?
As defined in a previous Research Note (Gaberson, 2025), research is the systematic, rigorous investigation of a problem or question to discover new knowledge that adds to the body of evidence in a specific discipline (Gillis & Jackson, 2002). Because the investigation is systematic and rigorous, research results usually can be generalized or transferred beyond the sample and setting used in the study to a larger population.
How can readers of published articles distinguish qualityimprovement, process-improvement-, or evidence-based practice projects from research studies?
Recommended Citation
Kathleen B. Gaberson
(2026)
"Research Note: Is It Really Research,"
CompassPoint: Vol. 36:
No.
2, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34068/CP.36.02.05
Available at:
https://open.clemson.edu/compass_point/vol36/iss2/5
