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Aim The aim of this paper is to present and discuss three popular narrative research approaches which have been successfully used by the authors in nursing research. Examples of each approach are offered to illustrate potential application in healthcare contexts. Background The creation, function and interpretation of narratives are of increasing interest to nurse researchers worldwide. Currently a variety of narrative research approaches are used to explore how people make sense of experience. While this diversity adds to the richness and scope of the methodology, practitioners new to narrative research may struggle in determining which approach best suits their research purposes and contexts. Design This discussion paper presents the philosophical basis, methodology, strengths and challenges of the following three commonly used narrative approaches: Murray's Narrative Framework, the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method and Arts-Based Narrative Methods. Data sources Data sources dating from 1934–2014 were used. These included seminal texts and articles from nursing and social science journals on narrative and narrative research found in the CINAHL, Medline and PsycInfo databases. Implications for nursing This discussion offers clarity and guidance to nurse researchers who are considering/ using narrative research methods to enquire into the storied nature of human experience and sense making processes. Conclusions Employing a specific narrative research approach requires close attention to the ‘fit’ of the research question/context with the particular method under consideration. While sharing some narrative commonalities, each of these three methods enables the emergence of unique analytic and interpretive perspectives about stories relevant to nursing practice.