Nursing Research September/October 2004 Vol 53, No 5 293 Mapping the Field A Bibliometric Analysis of the Research Utilization Literature in Nursing Carole A. Estabrooks ▼ Connie Winther ▼ Linda Derksen  Background: Research utilization is the use of research to guide clinical practice. However, little is known about the characteristics of the research utilization literature in nurs- ing, including the development and organization of this field of study. This article addresses the knowledge gap in this field of study by bibliometrically analyzing the research uti- lization literature in nursing.  Objective: To map research utilization as a field of study in nursing using bibliometric methods, and to identify the struc- ture of this scientific community, including the current net- work of researchers.  Method: A search of electronic and hard copy databases resulted in bibliographic data for 630 articles on research utilization in nursing published between 1972 and 2001. Bib- liometric techniques used included a statistical analysis of publication counts, co-word analysis, and co-citation analy- sis.  Results: The analyses showed a trend of increased productiv- ity since the early 1990s. Most publications were authored by a single author, with no tendency toward increased col- laboration over time. Most references cited in the articles were nursing references, indicating that there is very little flow into nursing from other fields. Only 4% of the references cited were actual research articles about research utiliza- tion, consistent with applied fields in which clinicians most commonly cite other clinicians. The 630 articles were pub- lished in a total of 194 different journals, with the Journal of Advanced Nursing identified as a key journal in the field.  Conclusions: According to the analysis, tremendous growth has occurred in the field of research utilization. However, the limited amount of collaborative research and the repeated citation of a few references indicate that the field is under- developed. The research utilization field would benefit from more substantive conceptual and empirical work, and more collaboration among emerging scholars.  Key Words: bibliometrics  nursing research  research utilization s a subset of knowledge utilization, research utiliza- tion has been defined as the use of research to guide clinical practice (Estabrooks, 1999a; Estabrooks, 1998; Loomis, 1985). Investigators in this field commonly predict that decision making based on the findings of scientific stud- ies will improve patient and system outcomes (Evidence- Based Medicine Working Group, 1992; Goode & Bulechek, 1992; Goode & Piedalue, 1999; Titler et al., 1994). In the 1970s, three projects were funded in the United States: the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Edu- cation in Nursing project (Krueger, 1977; Krueger, Nelson, & Wolanin, 1978; Lindeman & Krueger, 1977), the Nurs- ing Child Assessment Satellite Training project (Barnard & Hoehn, 1978; King, Barnard, & Hoehn, 1981), and the Conduct and Utilization of Research in Nursing project (Horsley, Crane, & Bingle, 1978; Horsley, Crane, Crab- tree, & Wood, 1983). Research utilization study flagged in the 1980s, but grew rapidly in the 1990s. Nurse scholars developed or refined research utilization models such as the Iowa Model of Research in Practice (Titler et al., 1994), the Collabora- tive Research Model (Dufault, 1995), the Ottawa Model of Research Use (Logan & Graham, 1998), the Multidi- mensional Framework of Research Utilization (Kitson, Harvey, & McCormack, 1998), the Evidence-Based Multi- disciplinary Practice Model (Goode & Piedalue, 1999), the Model for Change to Evidence-Based Practice (Rosswurm & Larrabee, 1999), and the Stetler (1994) model. Despite three decades of research in this area, few stud- ies show how this field has developed within nursing (e.g., its A Carole A. Estabrooks, RN, PhD, is Associate Professor and Prin- cipal Investigator, Knowledge Utilization Studies Program, and Academic Codirector, Centre for Knowledge Transfer, and Fac- ulty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Connie Winther, MSc, MLIS, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, and Library and Information Sciences Officer, Knowl- edge Utilization Studies Program, University of Alberta, Edmon- ton, Canada. Linda Derksen, PhD, is University College Professor, Department of Sociology, Malaspina University College, Nanaimo, Canada.