The authors list the vehicles used by authors of scientific literature to have their work known, particularly journals, and the number of nursing journals indexed in the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (1981). Brazil has 3, which is higher than many countries but very low compared to 8 in Canada, 10 in Japan, 139 in USA. Thesis written by Brazilian nurses are mentioned as well as the existing catalogues where they are registered. The authors also discuss oral information given out a conventions, workshops, seminars, etc and emphasize the difficulties felt by Brazilian nurses to have access to nursing literature.