CINAHL is a key database for nursing and allied health. Use CINAHL to locate and retrieve academic, peer-reviewed journal articles for your assignment or research.
Use the search screen and suggested subject headings (Medical Headings) to build up a search line-by-line. As well as these headings, you can also use freetext keywords which occur in the article or article description, or specify particular fields to search against: for instance, you can search for keywords just within article Titles.
Then connect the search lines using Boolean logic:
For more on Boolean logic and other literature searching techniques, see:
Panopto video from Academic Skills Centre, University of Birmingham: includes subtitles. Uses a combination of subject heading and general keyword search techniques.
Panopto video from Academic Skills Centre, University of Birmingham: includes subtitles. Title field keyword searches (not subject headings).
Panopto video from Academic Skills Centre, University of Birmingham: includes subtitles. Title field keyword searches (not subject headings).
On the following screen the subject heading is indicated "Depression, post-partum"
Keep the tick in the "Subheadings" box (this allows for more results) and select Search Database
Now enter the next term: "Community mental health nursing": find and choose the matching subject heading
On the main screen, connect the above two headings by using the "Search with AND" grey button: these should be clearly on the screen as S2, S1 to indicate each search line
At each stage, the results are further down the screen
To view the articles, use the "FindIt@Bham" link which leads to the full text (where available)
You can introduce further terms as appropriate: alternative terms to connect with OR; different headings with AND
For example, find "Systematic Review" and use AND with the above to identify any systematic reviews about postpartum depression and community health nursing
When you find a subject heading, there may be a tick-box available in the column headed Explode, to the right on the screen. If you tick this box, it will include narrower or more precise subject headings - for examples, selecting Diabetes and the Explode box will include articles with the headings Diabetes Type I, Diabetes Type II.
You can also look for keywords across records or in individual fields.
Search example
You may need to think of alternative keywords to add into each line for full coverage. Also, use features such as the asterisk Truncation symbol to allow for variants on root words. For example:
Keyword search lines can also combined with subject heading search lines. Remember to keep each line separate and connect afterwards.
A Subject heading line could also be combined with a separate keyword line on the same feature, using 'Search with OR' and then combined with other lines using 'Search with AND'.
See our Effective Search Techniques guide for more on AND, OR, truncation, keywords and other features.
The following screenshots illustrate the above search example.
Subject heading search
Keyword search (not subject heading) using Title field.
Panopto video from Academic Skills Centre, University of Birmingham: includes subtitles.
There is a 'Direct Export to EndNote Web' option for EBSCO databases such as CINAHL.
Watch the following Panopto video (includes sub-titles). This uses an example in the database Business Source Complete, but the steps are the same for CINAHL. Both are databases on the EBSCO platform.
Alternatively, an RIS file can be downloaded from the database and then uploaded into EndNote Online or to other referencing software programmes such as EndNote Desktop or Mendeley.
Watch the following Panopto video (includes sub-titles) or follow the instructions further below.
If items are in the [Unfiled] area in EndNote Online, select these and use Add to group for an existing or named group (folder).
