CINAHL - Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature can be accessed through CANVAS under Student Resources.
CINAHL Database is also owned by EBSCO. This is the definitive research tool for nursing and allied health professionals. With CINAHL Complete, users get fast and easy full-text access to top journals, evidence-based care sheets, quick lessons and more. Take a few minutes to evaluate all that CINAHL Complete has to offer, and you will see why hundreds of thousands of nurses and allied health professionals rely on this essential resource. CINAHL Complete, users can access a comprehensive scope of content covering over 50 nursing specialties as well as allied health subjects including speech and language pathology, nutrition, physical therapy and much more.
600 active full-text, non-open access journals indexed in CINAHL
| Strategy | Function |
| Keyword Searching |
Similar to "Google-like" searching where the database will retrieve results based on the terms you enter Does not take into consideration the context of those terms Typically retrieves several results, although many may not be relevant to the topic Keyword searching is very flexible and is a good way to begin a search, especially if you are unsure of the correct terminology to use. As you begin reading through your results, you may notice trends and patterns in terminology that you can then apply and adapt to your search strategy. VIDEO TUTORIALS: CINAHL Advanced Searching (applicable to all EBSCO databases) |
| Subject Heading Searching |
A targeted, specific way to search using a database's built-in controlled vocabulary Various databases have their own subject headings - i.e. CINAHL Headings in CINAHL and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) in MEDLINE. Controlled vocabulary subject headings function like a thesaurus and will take into consideration synonyms, abbreviations, and variations in spelling Typically retrieves fewer results than keyword searching, yet results are oftentimes more relevant VIDEO TUTORIALS: CINAHL & MeSH Subject Headings | Browsing Subject Terms (applies to all other EBSCO databases) |
| Boolean Operators |
Boolean operators provide a logical way to combine keyword or subject heading terms using AND, OR, or NOT "AND" will narrow your search by combining one of more terms together "OR" will broaden your search by retrieving results on any of the terms you enter "NOT" will exclude designated terms from your results VIDEO TUTORIALS: CINAHL Advanced Searching (applicable for all EBSCO databases) |
| Truncation/Stemming |
Use of an asterisk * after the root of a word will search for various word endings nurs* will find nurse, nurses, nursing anesth* will find anesthesiology, anesthetist, anesthesiologist |
| Phrase Searching |
Use of quotes will tell the database to retrieve results with that exact phrase "Algase Wandering Scale" |
| Nesting |
Use of parentheses will group desired search terms together in combination with appropriate Boolean operators (dementia OR "Alzheimer's disease") AND ("fall prevention" OR "fall risk assessment") |
| Limiters/Filters |
After conducting a search in a database, you can filter, refine and narrow your search results by applying limiters or filters. Options for narrowing your results are often located along the left side of your database search results page. Select appropriate limiters/filters that are relevant to your topic or your information need. Common options include publication date, type of article, age group, gender, etc.
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CINAHL includes over 150 Evidence-Based Care Sheets, which provide summaries of what is known about a disease or condition, as well as the best treatment options. Each sheet incorporates the latest evidence, statistics, research and references on a given topic.
The references are ranked according to the type of literature they represent (systematic reviews, meta-analysis, randomized controlled trial, conference proceedings, etc).
While the Evidence-Based Care Sheets are written, edited, and reviewed by RNs and MDs, they are published by CINAHL Information Systems, so they are not considered journal articles. Use these for background information and helpful references.
To search for a Care Sheet on a specific topic, go to CINAHL in CANVAS. Click on Evidence- Based Care Sheets located above the search box and you can search for a specific sheet or go through the alphabetical listing of topics.
Recommended APA Citation Format for Evidence-Based Care Sheets
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of document. CINAHL Nursing Guide.
Example:
DeVesty, G., & Holle, M.N. (2017). Melanoma: Genetics risks. CINAHL Nursing Guide.
Thanks to NWTC Libraries