Background Nursing education can positively affect nurses' attitudes toward nursing research, resulting in better patient outcomes. Experiential learning theory was the basis for this study. Objectives To explore nursing students' experiences of involvement in clinical research, their approach to learning and their interest in nursing research. Design Cross-sectional. Methods One hundred and twenty-six nursing students were invited to be involved as data collectors in a research project as part of their training in research methodology. The students completed an evaluation form and the Revised Study Process Questionnaire. The questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively and one open-ended question was analyzed qualitatively. Results On the whole, the students were happy to be involved in the data collection although a minority felt uncertain and exposed. Students with a deeper approach to learning felt that their involvement had increased their interest in nursing research and they stated that data collection should be a regular feature of the course. Conclusions Participation as data collectors in research has the potential to increase interest in nursing research among students with higher levels of deep learning. Further studies are needed to examine ways to increase interest in research among students with lower levels of deep learning.