Big data science: A literature review of nursing research exemplars

•Findings from this literature review support that nurse scientists are beginning to engage in data science with big data using a variety of data sources and cutting-edge analytic methods.•The key challenge is determining how nursing scientists partner with the data science field to transcend human intellectual limitations.•A major implication of this literature review is whether nursing faculty and preparation of future scientists (PhD programs) are prepared for big data and data science.