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When You’re Getting Started With Research, ‘Aim’ High

By ONS Research Team posted 08-28-2025 10:00

  

Hello and welcome to this ongoing discussion regarding oncology nursing research. I am Margaret (or Peggy) Rosenzweig, the ONS scholar in residence. In this role I help to establish research priorities, assist the Oncology Nursing Foundation with the oncology grant management program, and support current and future nursing scientists in their respective scientific endeavors.  

I have been an oncology nurse, nurse practitioner, researcher, and educator for many years, and try to bring that knowledge and experience to this role. As I enter my third year as the ONS scholar in residence, I am excited to share new topics of interest with you.  

This is a space for me to discuss some aspects of the research process while celebrating oncology nursing scholarship. Not all nurse researchers are at the same point in their career or have the same needs. Some of you may be aspiring researchers, others in the early stages of your careers, and still others more seasoned and tenured. All of that diversity in mind, these blog posts will vary in both topic and depth, aiming to provide value to individuals across all stages of the research journey.  

My goal is not only to share helpful insights and information but also to spark meaningful conversations and foster connections. 

For this first conversation, I’d like to talk about getting started or increasing your efforts in your research journey. Two of the most important early moves are carving out the space to do your work within your current role and beginning to draft your specific aims page.  

If your faculty or clinical position already includes dedicated research time, you’re ahead of the game. If not, don’t be discouraged; this is where a well-planned conversation with your departmental dean or clinical manager can make all the difference. Go into that meeting prepared with a clear idea of how your scholarship can meet pressing institutional needs and ultimately enhance scientific knowledge or patient care. 

A useful guide is Bloch and Smith Glasgow’s 2023 article, which offers practical strategies for negotiating roles in nursing structures. It is helpful for anyone who is navigating how to align their personal research goals with organizational priorities. Be clear about what you need in terms of hours, percent effort, and expected outcomes. 

As you begin to develop a research idea, you need to commit your ideas to paper in the form of a project summary, letter of intent, or specific aims page. This is the template by which you will develop your research proposal. This document frames your research ideas in the context of the established literature and briefly builds the significance and innovation of your study. It should also address feasibility: Highlighting any previous work the investigative team has in this area will help to establish that the project can be successfully completed within the time and budget constraints of any grant proposal. Ultimately, your document summarizes your ideas; makes the proposal relevant to the specific funding agency, or institutional needs; and provides a summary of existing knowledge while proposing the steps moving forward.  

It is important to think about and build the argument for why your project is needed. You want to convince the reader that your proposal will add to knowledge or assist patients, families, and communities with some aspects of the cancer experience. The significance section “sells” your idea, incorporating the literature review and identifying the gap in the literature. That gap should compel the reader to believe that your proposed research is necessary and important and that it holds broad application beyond the immediate application.  

The Monte and Libby (2018) proposed the paragraph-by-paragraph “sales pitch.” First is the introductory paragraph, identifying the problem through a high-level literature review and presenting the statement regarding the literature gap. The second paragraph offers a solution in the form of the project and the unique team. Preliminary data supporting the team’s work is incorporated here. Next the specific aims are presented, outlining the objectives to meet the needs that have been established. Some rules of the aims themselves are to ensure that each is independent and that no new concepts are introduced. Every concept of the aims should have been mentioned thus far in the text. The last paragraph adds innovation, significance, and greater application. 

The real challenge is that it must be concise. There is a famous expression, attributed to Mark Twain: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” This statement reminds all of us that writing in an effective and concise manner is quite challenging and time-consuming. Most aims pages are edited heavily, evolving as the proposal takes shape and thoughts become clearer.  

The specific aims page is the most important page of any proposal. It can also be used as a “calling card” to begin a discussion about a specific project. In today’s clinical world, where everyone faces so much information and demand for attention, a well-developed specific aims page will summarize the research and provide a point of discussion for those you ask for advice or collaboration. Instead of trying to state all the ideas regarding significance, aims, and methods, sending and sharing a specific aims page can help to focus the discussion.

Additional Resources:  

Bloch, J.R., & Smith Glasgow, M.E. (2023). Where are nursing scientists? Academic nursing research at critical crossroads. Nursing Outlook, 71(2), 101894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2022.10.007   

Goldstein, A.M., Balaji, S., Ghaferi, A.A., Gosain, A., Maggard-Gibbons, M., Zuckerbraun, B., & Keswani, S.G. (2021). An algorithmic approach to an impactful specific aims page. Surgery, 169(4), 816–820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2020.06.014   

Monte, A.A., & Libby, A.M. (2018). Introduction to the specific aims page of a grant proposal. Academic Emergency Medicine, 25(9), 1042–1047. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.13419   

Chino F, Nipp R. Financial Toxicity in Cancer Care: Where Are We, and How Did We Get Here? Introduction to a Special Series. JCO Oncol Pract. 2025 Jan;21(1):1-3. doi: 10.1200/OP-24-00793. Epub 2025 Jan 10. PMID: 39793551. 

Scholarship Spotlight: 
In a research brief in the July 2025 issue of the Oncology Nursing Forum, lead author Amy Caramore, BSN, RN, CEN, a nurse leader at Memorial Sloane Kettering, and colleagues illustrated a project that adds to the literature regarding financial toxicity in cancer. Caramore and her team queried RNs, advanced practice providers, and ancillary staff to assess their understanding of their patients’ financial toxicity, their role in mitigating it, and any training they may have received regarding financial toxicity. The interesting findings of this work were that oncology staff are sensitive to financial toxicity and would like to have further training to support their patients.  

The findings are a call to action for all institutions and professional organizations to provide frontline caregivers with information for cost-of-care discussions, risk factors, and strategies to help patients. Grassroots efforts like the one led by Caramore take clinical questions and identify the real-world needs and gaps in care. These are the essential connections for nurse scientists to generate new research ideas.  

Learn more about the study and watch a video interview with Caramore and Oncology Nursing Forum Editor Janine Overcash, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FAAN, in ONS Voice. 

Caramore, A., Sharma, B., O'Leary, J., Aviki, E.M., & Thom, B. (2025). Cancer care affordability and the healthcare team: Expanding an assessment of clinical perceptions and attitudes in nursing. Oncology Nursing Forum, 52(4), 259-264. https://doi.org/10.1188/25.ONF.259-264   

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