Searching CINAHL

Advanced Searching in Cinahl

You'll find some tips and instructions on how to use the advanced search tools in this database in the images and written instructions below

• On the Advanced Search page (which is often the default page) enter multiple relevant search terms for the most relevant,focused list of articles.
  • Keep phrases in quotation marks to search the terms together (e.g. "Family role" or "Palliative care"
• Be sure to select "Full text" to find only articles you can access immediately in full. If left unchecked, you may learn about a great article in another Holman Library database - or one that you can borrow through InterLibrary Loan. 
• Set a date range or started date if you need to limit this to a specific time period.

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• Be sure to check "peer- reviewed" to find only scholarly articles that have been reviewed by other specialist in the field.
• At  the Journal Subject box, select "Core Nursing and Nursing"
• To select two subsets or more, press and hold the Control key while selecting.

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If you are unsure of what keywords to use, click on "CINAHL Headings" from the menu at the top of the page as shown below.

• Once there, you can enter your keyword at the browse bar and see what subject terms are suggested.
• These can be very helpful if you're not seeing your getting the results you were expecting or are merely unsure of what to search.

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Video Tutorial

Using CINAHL MeSH Subject Headings

Searching Nursing & Allied Health Source

ProQuest Video Tutorials

How to Refine a Search & Select and Cite Sources

Advanced Searching

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Searching PubMed

Pubmed Overview Tutorial

Other Pubmed Tutorials

Pubmed User Guide

Using MeSH Subject Headings

There are many ways to refer to one medical concept.  MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) help you find the standard, preferred search words that most databases use to describe concepts.  Using MeSH search words helps you improve your searches.

For example:

1. Click on the link above.
2. In the search box type: hand washing
3. You will see that hand disinfection is the standard, preferred search word
4. Using this search word specifically as a "subject heading" (not just as a simple search word) will automatically capture all the related words to hand disinfection in your search, such as hand washing, surgical scrubbing, hand sanitation...etc.

Note: MeSH subject headings are standard terms in the medical information world.  Therefore, you can improve your searches in other databases using MeSH terms.  

Video Tutorial

Using CINAHL MeSH Subject Headings

Can't Find the Full Text of an Article?

• Sometimes you will come across an article citation (that only shows title, author, date..etc.) but that does NOT show you the actual full text of the article.

• No problem! You can request the full-text using InterLibrary Loan (or ILL) service. It's free!

• To request an item, fill out the Student Interlibrary Loan form below