Oncology Nursing Forum Assignment
Explicit Assumptions About Knowing
Conceptual Foundations is a new column for Oncology Nursing Forum (ONF) that focuses on the frameworks that underpin research and practice initiatives. The purpose of this inaugural column is to provide an overview of what conceptual frameworks are, related terms, the role of conceptual frameworks in the research process, and why these frameworks matter. The majority of articles published in ONF are research manuscripts. Readers include student nurses, practicing oncology nurses, nurse managers, advanced practice on- cology nurses, nurse scientists, and people in other disciplines who are interested in patients with cancer. In the guidelines for ONF articles, peer reviewers are asked to address the conceptual model/ theory (if needed) that is included in the manuscript. For all who read, apply, and create knowledge, un- derstanding the conceptual frame- work underlying a research study is an essential skill to master. The conceptual framework may be ex- plicitly identified by the author or may be implicit. If not specifically stated, the reader must detect the underlying assumptions that form a conceptual foundation.
