This paper is concerned with the use of REBEn (Brazilian Journal of Nursing) in dissertations and theses produced in two public programs in Rio de Janeiro. Objectives: 1) to investigate the impact of this journal in the production of the knowledge in the field of nursing from 1992 to 2001, and 2) to analyze, comparatively, the use of the journal in theses and dissertations. Document analysis was done, based on bibliographical references. Data were analyzed quantitatively. The study demonstrated that REBEn remains an important publication for the development scientific knowledge in the nursing field. Approximately 50% of the authors cite it in dissertations, and 60% cite it in theses. Literature revision was numerically smaller in dissertations compared to theses. Regarding theses, 1995 was the year in which there were more references from REBEn.
scientific production; nursing