The American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) is pleased to announce the publication of Nursing Certification: Key Themes, Trends, and Gaps, a new white paper examining the evolution and current state of nursing specialty certification research.

Developed as a companion resource to the Nursing Certification Annotated Bibliography, 2026 Edition, the white paper provides a concise synthesis of the literature and identifies major patterns across decades of published research. Rather than cataloging individual studies, the report focuses on the broader story the evidence tells about nursing certification's impact, development, and future research needs.

Key areas explored in the white paper include:

• Major themes that consistently emerge throughout the literature
• Notable trends in nursing certification research over time
• Areas where evidence is well established
• Important gaps and opportunities for future investigation
• Considerations for researchers, nurse leaders, educators, certifying organizations, and policymakers

Together, the white paper and the 2026 annotated bibliography offer complementary resources for those seeking to understand and advance the evidence base supporting nursing specialty certification.

ABNS extends its sincere appreciation to the American Nurses Credentialing Center and Kathryn A. Connell, PhD, RN, CCRN, for producing the accompanying white paper.

ABNS also gratefully acknowledges the generous support of its sponsors:

Platinum Sponsor

American Board of Neuroscience Nursing (ABNN)

Gold Sponsors

Access both publications:

https://www.nursingcertification.org/resource/research