The content and methodology assessment of graduate and postgraduate theses prepared at surgical nursing departments in Turkey

Although use of research in the profession of nursing is a very challenging and demanding process it is nonetheless an opportunity to professionalise nursing as much as it is an indispensible aspect of improving public health. This study was developed with the objective of assessing graduate and postgraduate theses prepared at Surgical Nursing Departments in Turkey in terms of content and methodology.In This study is used descriptive study model. The universe for the study consists of graduate and postgraduate theses that were available in full text or summary form, prepared between 1985 and 2012 at Surgical Nursing Departments in Turkey. The sample included theses available in full text prepared between the same dates. Data for the study was acquired using the Council of Higher Education's (YOK) central theses database (accessible at www.yok2.tez.gov.tr). During the coding process the theses were categorised by university, year, title and profession of thesis advisor, completion time, study type, model and methodology, study universe, sample selection and methodology and data collection tools.From the total of 268 theses examined in scope of the study 81% (n=217) were postgraduate and 19% (n=51) were graduate level theses. Categorised by year, 179 (66.8%) of theses were prepared in the 2007-2012 period. The most popular research method stood out to be the quantitative method (94,8%). Looking at the institutes at which the theses were written it is seen that the highest number of postgraduate theses came from Ege University with 37% (n=19) whereas the highest number of graduate theses came from Afyon Kocatepe University with 30% (n=65). During the studying about this field, there was used a research model. In Turkey, there are used a quantitative research model in most of master's degree thesis. Although mostly nursing faculty members give counselling about thesis it seems support from medicine faculty members. The study was limited to accessible full text theses since the source was Council of Higher Education's (YOK) central theses database. It is possible to acquire and categorise all the theses written at Surgical Nursing Departments from the relevant institutes of universities providing graduate level education in Turkey. Further enriching these types of tendency studies can be used to prepare meta-analyses with broader scope.