Tips for Searching CINAHL
(Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
1: To access CINAHL:
2: Access CINAHL from off-campus by entering your PID and your PID password when prompted.
3: Set up an account to save searches and save the contents of your folder. Click on ‘Sign In’ on the top right side of the screen. Click on ‘Create a New Account’ to set up an account.
4: If you type in a phrase and want the database to search for the words adjacent to each other, use quotation marks around the phrase, or click on Boolean/Phrase under Search Options.
Example: “health care reform”
5: Use the asterisk to search for the variation of a word. Example: educat*
6: Never check the full text check box!! Use the Get Full Text icon to find full text.
7: The initial search screen allows you to limit your search by date, language, type of article, and age groups.
8: To limit your search to Peer Reviewed journals, click the Peer Reviewed check box.
9: To limit your search to Research articles, click the Research Article check box.
10: To limit your search to nursing journals, select Nursing in the Journal Subset section.
11: You may email, print or save in Cinahl using links on the right side of the pages.
12: Click on the “Full Text” icon to see if the full text of the article is available online. If full text is not available, use the “Show Additional Options” link to request items via Interlibrary Loan.
13: If the library does not own the journal you need online, you can order an electronic copy of the article through Interlibrary Loan. http://library.ucf.edu/ILL/. Interlibrary Loan is free and is very fast.
14: Click “Add to Folder” located under the article title to add a citation to the folder.
Look on the right side of the screen for your folder contents. Click Folder View to see all of the contents of your folder. REMEMBER: the folder is only saved if you have signed into your Ebscohost account at the top of the screen where it says “Sign In”.
15: Click on Search History located under the search boxes to see all of the searches you’ve completed. You can also save your search strategy here.
16: After clicking on an item to see the full record, you will see icons that allow you to print, email, save, cite, or export a citation. The CITE icon displays how the article should be cited in various citation styles, including APA. You should double-check the format very carefully to make sure it is correct. Most of the time it is NOT correct.
17: Use the Export icon to send the citation to RefWorks or Endnote. RefWorks and Endnote are software applications that help you manage your sources. They will also allow you to format your paper and create bibliographies in APA style.
18: Call for help! Andy Todd; 321-433-7878; Andrew.Todd@ucf.edu
You may also seek help from the Ask a Librarian service. For hours of operation and phone numbers: http://library.ucf.edu/Ask. A toll free phone number is available.