With a view to verifying, quantifying and analyzing the use of vignettes as a strategy for data collection, the authors investigated how this strategy has been used for research data collection, in the MEDLINE and LILACS systems, in the period from 1966 to 2000. Five hundred eighty-two research works were found, 57 (9.8%) of which were published in nursing journals or contained studies about nursing professionals and/or students. Among these, 4 (7.0%) were published in the 1980s; 49 (86%) in the 1990s and 4 (7.0%) in 2000. The study proposals were: to explore attitude/behavior 20 (35.1%); to explore knowledge/attitude/behavior 14 (24.6%); to evaluate 12 (21.1%); to explore knowledge level 6 (10.5%); to conduct methodological studies 3 (5.3%) and to attribute responsibility 2 (3.5%). The prevailing theme was nursing care. The United States of America presented 34 (59.6%) publications, while the United Kingdom presented 16 (28.1%). One work was found which originated from Latin America.
research; nursing; methodology
