Learning to Use CINAHL

This is what shows when you mouse over the full text link.

Points to Remember

To access CINAHL outside the ASU campus, you will be asked to enter your name and Banner ID number.
For access problems, please call 828-262-2820.

Points to Remember

You can combine keywords using Boolean operators (AND, OR)
AND = retrieves articles with the chosen keywords
EXAMPLE = diabetes AND pregnancy
OR = retrieves articles with either of the keywords; used to find synonyms or related keywords
EXAMPLE = youth OR adolescent OR teenager
• Use keywords if there are no appropriate Subject Headings (the database’s standardized vocabulary).

Points to Remember

Points to Remember

Peer-reviewed articles are scholarly articles reviewed by experts in the field before publication.
Checkmark the “Peer-reviewed” box on the search results page to limit your search to peer reviewed articles.
There are many different limiting options (language, date, age group, etc). Select as many limits as you wish by marking the checkboxes. Scroll down the page for more limiting options.
BE CAREFUL! Whenever possible, do not limit to “full-text” This will not retrieve all results! Even if an item is not available at the ASU Library, you can submit an InterLibrary Loan request for free.

Points to Remember

To determine if your keyword has an assigned Subject Heading, click on CINAHL Headings link on the top of the page.
PRO – using a Subject Headings will retrieve more relevant articles that represent the content of the article because you are using the database’s own vocabulary. This leads to more focused/improved results.
CON- sometimes keywords do not have an assigned Subject Headings. It is impossible to have a Subject Heading for every English keyword. Always check the CINAHL Headings.
If there is no Subject Heading for your keyword, do a keyword search (as you would in Google).

Points to Remember

A citation (also known as a reference) is the publication information of a published work such as the title of the journal, title of article, volume, and year.
Most citations include an abstract (summary) and sometimes include the full-text (entire article).

Welcome to the CINAHL database tutorial.

CINAHL is the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature database.
CINAHL contains nursing and allied health (e.g. speech language pathology, nutrition, etc) literature from 1982 to the present.
CINAHL has the most comprehensive coverage of English-language nursing journals.
CINAHL has many full-text (entire article) articles.

This is what shows when you mouse over the full text link.

Points to Remember

To access CINAHL outside the ASU campus, you will be asked to enter your name and Banner ID number.
For access problems, please call 828-262-2820.