Jordan is one of the Middle Eastern countries with a population of 6 249 000 (Department of Jordanian Statistics 2011). In comparison to other countries in the region, the overall health condition in Jordan is considered one of the best, with a
well-established healthcare system (Ajlouni 2011). The Faculty of Nursing at the University of Jordan was established
in 1972 as the first university-level education in nursing (Sultan 1998). With the development of the first baccalaureate
nursing programme, the need for nursing educators at a graduate level was apparent. Accordingly, ‘the university started to offer scholarships to the first graduates of the BSc programme to pursue their graduate education on well-established masters and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes abroad, mainly in the USA. This strategy was initially successful in establishing doctoral-prepared nursing faculty’ (Zahran 2012, p. 382).
In 2009, there were 149 nurses holding a doctorate degree in nursing, mostly graduated from the USA and UK universities. Ninety per cent of them are working at academic institutions (Al-Maaitah & Shokeh 2009).
To continue the development of nursing education in Jordan and to meet the need for specialized nurses and nurse educators, the University of Jordan started the first graduate nursing educational programme in 1986 (Sultan 1998). Currently, in Jordan, many universities offer master’s programmes in different nursing specialties. With the objective of meeting the need of the nursing profession in Jordan and the region for qualified academicians, administrators and researchers, the University of Jordan started the first and the only PhD nursing programme in 2005. The advancement of nursing education in Jordan was one of the key factors that helped in starting research work in Jordan.
In Jordan, the situation of nursing research has not been analysed. Knowledge about published papers and what others have explored are vital when exploring solutions to professional problems. Accordingly, the current study will help nurses’
researchers to identify areas that need further investigation and to pinpoint areas of strength and contribute to the refinement of nursing research priority areas.