title: Narrative in nursing research: an overview of three approaches.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper is to present and discuss three popular narrative research approaches which have been successfully used by the authors in nursing research. Examples of each approach are offered to illustrate potential application in healthcare contexts.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The creation, function and interpretation of narratives are of increasing interest to nurse researchers worldwide. Currently a variety of narrative research approaches are used to explore how people make sense of experience. While this diversity adds to the richness and scope of the methodology, practitioners new to narrative research may struggle in determining which approach best suits their research purposes and contexts.
  
  
  METHODS
  This discussion paper presents the philosophical basis, methodology, strengths and challenges of the following three commonly used narrative approaches: Murray's Narrative Framework, the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method and Arts-Based Narrative Methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data sources dating from 1934-2014 were used. These included seminal texts and articles from nursing and social science journals on narrative and narrative research found in the CINAHL, Medline and PsycInfo databases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This discussion offers clarity and guidance to nurse researchers who are considering/ using narrative research methods to enquire into the storied nature of human experience and sense making processes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Employing a specific narrative research approach requires close attention to the 'fit' of the research question/context with the particular method under consideration. While sharing some narrative commonalities, each of these three methods enables the emergence of unique analytic and interpretive perspectives about stories relevant to nursing practice.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Ireland.
authors.forename: Briege
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9705-6091
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Ireland.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Proudfoot
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Ireland.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corbally
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000379:methods*; D009742:Nursing Theory; D012107:Research Design
keywords: Murray's narrative framework; arts-based narrative methods; biographical narrative interpretive method; narrative methods; nursing research; research exemplars