Knowledge Session #2: Connecting to the Scholarly Conversation One Theory at a Time

INANE Conference: Tuesday AM 8/5/25

Speakers: Diane Monsivais, Leslie Robbins

Abstract: Scholarly conversations have the potential to highlight nursing’s distinct disciplinary focus and build nursing knowledge. Publishing is an important means of contributing to nursing’s ongoing scholarly conversation. Incorporating nursing theory in a manuscript so that it connects to the ongoing scholarly conversation is too often underappreciated and underused. Nurse authors frequently neglect to describe a theoretical framework when submitting manuscripts to the journal Research and Theory for Nursing Practice. A publication that lacks a theoretical connection to established scholarship often becomes disconnected from prior publications and becomes a scholarly monologue instead of a dialogue that builds the scholarly conversation. This presentation discusses the value of using theory to structure manuscripts (with a focus on DNP project reports) and provides an overview of the models and theories that have specific applicability to nurse practitioners. The presenters are the authors of the recently published book Publishing the DNP Project. An Evidence-Based Approach.

Summary: The presenters provided the foundation for this presentation by using their leadership experience with the journal Research and Theory for Nursing Practice and their educator experience guiding DNP students towards publication.

“It’s research AND theory for nursing practice, NOT research OR theory for nursing practice.”

Key Takeaways:

• Why does theory matter? It maintains disciplinary focus and supports accumulated disciplinary knowledge.
• Why focus on DNP QI Projects? There are currently 439 DNP programs, with more than 100 in planning stages! During the 2023/24 academic year, these programs enrolled 42+ thousand students! 
• Also, Tucker-Ocran et al. (2020) found that only 33% of DNP projects described a theoretical framework. Faculty might not be prepared to teach nursing theory, and that needs to change!
• PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) is not a nursing theory!! 

• Diane Monsivais started returning these theory-free DNP manuscripts with a major revision until it incorporated a theory background, with nursing theory preferred.
• Some authors asked….
  • What do you mean?
  • Can you provide examples of a theory?
  • Some returned the manuscript with only one line of text mentioning a theory
  • Some returned the same manuscript and then assured her in the cover letter that they did include a theory!
  • Some authors resubmitted with a theory and were moved to peer review. 
• Ideally theory is incorporated in the planning stages of a project, however a theory can be retrofitted once the project is complete.

They offered this article to the DNP authors: What makes a theory or model “nursing”? By Peggy Chinn

More Takeaways:

• Mid-range theories are often the best choice for a DNP project
• Provide DNP students with https://nursology.net/ to explore!

Discussion:

• The presenters did this exercise with DNP faculty to help them help their DNP students with this requirement for publication
• An audience attendee asked a thought-provoking question that received a lot of support: What are the ethics of asking a researcher to retrofit a theory to a project that did not incorporate it from the beginning? 
  • Diane Monsivais responded to this that the DNP authors who participated in this exercise with the presenters appreciated the opportunity and guidance on incorporating theory. However, in her mind, retrofitting a theory to a QI project is not unlike “resetting the background” by completing another literature review to slant the background differently after you complete a study. 
• Question from audience: Is there a role for incorporating the theory into the discussion section instead of “retrofitting” it to the entire project?
  • Per Diane Monsivais, yes, there is role for the DNP students to integrate theory into their manuscripts by incorporating it into the discussion or analysis of results. What is important is that DNPs and DNP authors are using theory!
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Your INANE 2025 reporter is Melissa Anne DuBois, BSN, RNC-OB, PhD Student.

Content for this post was obtained from the INANE 2025 website, the conference guidebook, internet searches, speaker submitted bios, and live reporting from each session. Any errors in content are purely accidental and not intended to offend. If you notice an error you would like corrected, please contact Melissa Anne at melissadubois2 at gmail dot com and she will be happy to make corrections.