Objectives: to map the use of Nursing models and theories utilized as theoretical references in graduate academic Nursing research in Brazil.
Methods: bibliometrics, performed in the Theses and Dissertations database of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, in November, 2020. Data analysis was performed using simple descriptive statistics and lexical analysis, performed using the software: IRAMUTEQ.
Results: the 50 selected studies were from the field of Nursing, 15 (30%) of which were theses and 35 (70%) were dissertations. 13 Nursing theories and models were identified, used as theoretical references, highlighting Roy's Adaptation Model in 10 (20%) of the researches. Final Considerations: the study found a great diversity in the use of nursing theories and models as a theoretical framework, which allowed us to identify the areas most researched by nurses and confirmed their application in different specialties and health contexts.