Searching CINAHL: Nursing & Allied Health

What is CINAHL and how do I connect to the CINAHL database?

CINAHL provides coverage from 1981 to the present, updated monthly, of the literature in nursing and 17 allied health disciplines. Over 2900 journals are indexed including virtually all English-language nursing journals along with selected titles in biomedicine, alternative/complementary therapies, and consumer health. Full text is available for selected nursing standards, practice acts, pamphlets, state nursing journals, research instruments, and critical paths.

Connect to HealthLinks: Databases and select CINAHL from the list. Note: When you are done searching, be sure to click on LOGOFF in the upper right hand portion of the screen in order to let someone else use it.

How do I perform a search?

• For a quick search, type any word, number or phrase in the search box and click the "Search" button. Your words are searched as words in the title, CINAHL subject heading, abstract, or instrumentation fields unless you use the icons (in the blue bar over the search box) to specify author, title, or journal instead.
• Use a dollar sign < $ > or colon <:> to retrieve variations on a word, e.g. transplant$ will retrieve records that include "transplants" and "transplantation." Use a question mark <?> to retrieve variations on a word of just one character, e.g. transplant? will retreive records that include "transplant" or "transplants" but not "transplantation". You may use a pound sign <#> to replace one character, e.g. wom#n will retrieve both "women" and "woman."
• Use operators such as AND, OR, and NOT to combine topics in one search box.
  
• Some limits are available from the Main Search Screen. Others (such as publication types, age groups etc.) are chosen as follows: After creating a search, click on the "More Limits" icon (under the search box) to see your choices, including which search to limit, and make your selections.

What if I want to use a word or phrase from a specific field such as subject heading or publication type?

• Search by author, article title, or journal name by clicking on the appropriate icon (in the blue bar over the search box) and then entering your words in the search box.
• If you click in the box next to "Map Term to Subject Heading" box, then when you type one phrase or word into the search box (without truncation or operators), you will be presented with a list of possible CINAHL subject headings from which to choose or you may continue to search with the phrase in the keyword default fields.
  
• Another option is to click the "Search Tools" icon (to the right of the search tabs) to browse through a list of CINAHL subject headings and select specific subject headings to use in your search. You will also choose which subheadings, e.g. age groups, diagnosis, etc., to use with the subject heading, whether or not to "explode" the term (i.e. use all related subject headings) and whether or not to "focus" the term (i.e. make it the major focus of the article).
• By clicking on the "More Fields" icon (to the right of the search tabs), you can view a list of all possible search fields, as well as browse through the index of that field for specific terms.
• You may also type in a term and qualify it with the field abbreviation, e.g. arthritis.sh. to search for arthritis as a subject heading.
• To make a term the major focus of the article, add an asterisk < * > in front of it, e.g. *arthritis Note: This will only work if the word or phrase is a CINAHL subject heading.
• Other useful fields to use are:
  • PT - Publication Type, e.g. research instrument. Search for possible full text of a research instrument with PT, e.g. rosenberg self esteem scale and research instrument.pt.
  • IT - Instrumentation. Search for studies that use a particular instrument with IT, e.g. rosenberg self esteem scale.it.
• Use the Find Citation tab to locate an article when you just know bits and pieces of information about it. It functions like PubMed's Citation Matcher feature.

Can I combine separate searches?

• Click on the "Combine Searches" icon (at the bottom of the search history box) and combine searches by using the check boxes, and selecting AND or OR from the pulldown menu; then click on the "Continue" button.
  
• Alternatively, combine results by typing a search number into a new search box, e.g. arthritis and 1

How do I display my search results?

• Initial results are displayed twenty at a time. Mark a record by checking the box next to it. To change the fields and number of references (page size) displayed, click on the "Customize Display" icon and make your selections.

How do I locate fulltext of articles? How do I know if the UW has this item?

• Options for locating the full text of articles or checking for UW holdings (Library Holdings) are listed to the right of the reference. Simply click on the option of your choice.
  
• Under the citation a link to "Find Citing Articles" may be displayed. This link finds articles from the Journals@Ovid collection that cite this article.
• Similarly, a link to "Find Similar Articles" will be displayed. This link retrieves articles that are closely related to your article.

How do I print, save or email my search results?

• After you display your results and mark the records you wish to keep, scroll to the bottom of the screen to the Results Manager. Working from left to right, select which citations to use, the fields to include and the action (print, save or email) to take.
  
• To import records into a software program such as EndNote, select "Direct Export" (if the computer has the citation software installed) or "Reprint/Medlars" format if it does not. Then, when using the citation management software, select the CINAHL (Ovid) filter. Be sure to select "Complete Reference" for the fields to save as well.

What are the steps to create an AutoAlert(SDI), i.e. an automatic email update, from my search?

• Create your best search, then click on the "Save Search/Alert" icon.
• You will be asked to log in to a Personal Account before going further. Enter your Personal Account Name and Password (or create one if this is your first time) and click on the "Login" button.
• Select "AutoAlert (SDI)" under the pulldown menu for "Type." Make your selections from the menu presented and click on the "Save" button.
• If you would like to create additional searches to save, clear (delete) the previous one(s) before creating a new search.
• To manage (edit or delete) your AutoAlerts, simply log onto any Ovid database, click on the "Personal Account" button, login and then click on the "Saved Searches/Alerts" button.

Where can I get more help?

• General Ovid help is available on every screen by clicking on "Help" in the upper right hand portion of the screen.
• The Database Field Guide provides information about CINAHL.
• Click on the "Need Help? Ask a Librarian" link on the Main Search Screen. This will let you send an email to the UW Libraries along with your search strategy to ask for assistance.

The Health Sciences Libraries offers classes on searching. You can also make an appointment with your library liaison for more assistance.