Sue Johnson and Keith Stevenson look at the different requirements of nursing research and research nursing

The terms ‘nursing research’ and ‘research nursing’ are often confused, although the skill sets associated with each occupation are different. Clinical research nurses do not require academic research qualifications, although they develop considerable skills in the practice of research and their potential input into research planning should not be neglected. This paper considers the skills required in research nursing and how they develop, and highlights the importance of the research nurse to the conduct of a clinical trial.