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Searching CINAHL-Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (Through Ovid Technologies, Inc.)
What is CINAHL?
CINAHL: Not just another Internet search engineCINAHL, as an electronic database, was created long before the advent of powerful internet search engines capable of performing rapid keyword searches. Although keyword searches can be done in CINAHL, the main search mechanism is through the use of subject headings (often referred to simply as "terms"). These can be likened to the terms found in the back-of-the-book index of a typical textbook, which aid the reader in rapidly locating the page on which a given topic is discussed. Similarly, the CINAHL subject headings are used to quickly find any records in the database on that topic. Each article indexed in CINAHL is assigned an average of six to eight subject headings, based on its subject content. The subject headings are assigned by human indexers through manual review of the article, not by computer algorithm. Whereas many of the subject headings are adopted from the MEDLINE database, many others were created by CINAHL especially for the nursing and health sciences fields. For any search term entered, the Ovid software will automatically display a list of appropriate CINAHL subject headings from which to make selections. Although there is the option to search by keyword in CINAHL, searching via the subject headings will usually produce better results with fewer irrelevant hits. Exceptions to this rule do exist, for example when searching for proper names, trade names, specialized jargon, and newly coined terms.Getting startedFrom Dana Library's home page (http://library.uvm.edu/dana), click on ""CINAHL" under "Databases & E-Books". For off-campus access to CINAHL, click on the "Connect From Off Campus" button on the left sidebar for instructions and links. Basic CINAHL searchingOne of the most crucial steps to performing a successful literature search is formulating a good search question and then identifying the searchable concepts. For example, suppose you want to find articles discussing infections from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in kidney transplant patients. The searchable concepts are "EBV " and "kidney transplant patients", although other terms may produce relevant results as well. Once you have identified the searchable concepts, search on each one separately, rather than as a multiple word string. When you have created a separate set for each concept, combine the sets. Using the above example, begin by connecting to CINAHL. Then...
Tricks for refining a searchThe CINAHL database gives you many powerful tools with which to fine tune your search and eliminate less relevant hits. Some of these include:
By default, CINAHL will "explode" any subject heading you select unless you direct the system otherwise. In the search history display, the code "exp" will precede any subject heading that was exploded. When you explode a subject heading (or "term"), you are asking the system to search for that term, plus any more specific terms associated with it. For example, if you explode the term "Herpesvirus Infections", your search will include all the specific types of Herpesvirus infections such as chicken pox, CMV infections, and infectious mononucleosis, as well as Herpesvirus infections in general. Alternatively, you may choose not to explode, in which case the system will search only on the general term but not the more specific terms. To view the list of subject headings and their hierarchical arrangement, click on a hyperlinked term in the mapping display. Scroll down until you encounter the highlighted original term. Note that with each successive indentation, the terms become progressively more specific. When you explode a term, the result will be a larger set than if you searched only on the more general term. Use this feature with caution, as you may not necessarily want to include all the more specific terms. FocusThe Focus feature allows you to limit your search to articles in which the term is the main topic, eliminating those with only a very brief or general discussion of the subject. The final result will be a smaller, more "focused" set of citations, since the less relevant citations will have been excluded. In the search history display, an asterisk will precede any subject heading that was "focused". SubheadingsSubheadings allow you to concentrate on one particular aspect of a subject. For example, if you are primarily interested in the complications of Epstein-Barr infections, you would select that subheading in the Subheading screen. You may select as many subheadings as desired. Like the Focus feature, the use of subheadings has the effect of producing a smaller total number of hits, while increasing the overall relevancy of the set. However, you run the risk of accidentally eliminating some relevant citations by using subheadings, so use this feature with caution. Combining setsAfter creating a separate set for each concept, combine the sets by clicking on the Combine Searches button. Select the sets you wish to combine, and click Continue. You'll need to decide if you want to combine the sets using AND or OR. The default is "AND", and its use will result in a smaller set of which each member will be listed under both subject headings. Refer to the following section for an explanation of the Boolean AND and OR. Click on the Continue button. A new, composite set will have been created. To understand the difference between the Boolean operators AND and OR, it may help to think of them in terms of making a purchase. Suppose you need to buy a new coat. You will need to make decisions regarding outer fabric, insulating material, and color, among other characteristics. Let's say you decide that you want a black polyester coat insulated with down. Expressed in Boolean terms, you would say you want a coat that is "black AND polyester AND down-filled ". The Boolean operator AND will generate a set of coats in which each will satisfy all the criteria. The set will NOT include any coats that are missing any one of the criteria, even if they have the other two. Thus, it will not include any coats that are not black in color, even if they are polyester and have down insulation.Conversely, suppose you are very flexible in your desires, and you decide that you would indeed be perfectly happy with a coat that is either black OR is made out of polyester OR has down insulation. Here, the Boolean operator OR will create a larger set of coats, each of which will satisfy at least one of the criteria but not necessarily all of them. So you may have many black coats to choose from, but they may or may not have polyester outer fabric and they may or may not be insulated with down. Many techniques used in database searching are based on the principles of Boolean logic. For the curious among us, the term "Boolean" comes from George Boole, the 19th century English mathematician who developed this system of logic. If you'd like to learn more, check out this web page http://www.hsl.creighton.edu/hsl/Searching/Boolean_operations.html from Creighton University. Limiting a searchDevelop your search strategy before applying any limits. The most commonly used limits, especially those for publication year and local holdings, are shown just below the search box on the Main Search Page. The Local Holdings limit will restrict your search to journals subscribed to by the University of Vermont (UVM)). Additional choices can be found by clicking on the More Limits button. These include limits for age groups, journal subsets, and publication types such as clinical trials, practice guidelines, randomized controlled trials, meta analysis, and review articles. Pull the scroll bar down to view the entire screen. Limit in stepwise fashion rather than all at once so that you have the option of going back to a previous, less restricted, set if necessary.
Click on the Display button for the set you wish to view. The citations will be listed in reverse chronological order (most recent listed first.) The citations will be displayed in the brief format, which includes citation, publication type, local holdings message, and accession number (AN). The minimum information required to locate an article is listed in italics and consists of the journal title, volume, issue, page numbers, and date. To view the abstract or the complete reference - which includes the subject headings and additional database fields, but not the full-text of the article - click on the appropriate link. The subject headings will be hyperlinked, enabling you to launch new searches instantly. To check the UVM Libraries Online Catalog for available issues, click on the Library Holdings link. If UVM has an electronic subscription to the journal, a URL will be provided which will take you to the publisher's website. Browse the archive of past issues for the full-text of the article. The Ovid Full Text button links to electronic journals that UVM subscribes to through Ovid. To view a list of journals subscribed to though Ovid, go to Dana's home page, and click on E-journal Packages under the Electronic Journals heading.
Check the boxes on the left margin to mark any records you wish to save for later printing or e-mailing. When you are finished browsing the set, click on Main Search Page. A new set will have been created consisting of the records you selected.
Scroll down to the Results Manager located at the bottom of the page. Indicate which citations you want and the desired fields (the default is Citation + Abstract). Always check the Include Search History box so you can duplicate your search at a later date if necessary. To print the results, click on Print Preview, followed by your browser's print function. To e-mail or save the citations, click on the appropriate button and follow the prompts. Getting the full-text of the articleUse the Local Holdings limit to restrict your search to journals subscribed to by UVM either electronically or in print. To check the UVM Libraries Online Catalog for available issues, click on the Library Holdings link. If UVM has an electronic subscription to the journal, a URL will be provided which will take you to the publisher's website. Browse the archive of past issues for the full-text of the article. The Ovid Full Text button links to electronic journals that UVM subscribes to through Ovid. To view a list of journals subscribed to though Ovid, go to Dana's home page, and click on E-journal Packages under the Electronic Journals heading.For off-campus access to UVM electronic journals, refer to the Connect From Off-Campus link on the Dana home page. Journals available in print will be shelved alphabetically by title in the periodical section of Dana Library. Most journals dated 1985 and earlier are housed in the Library Research Annex, located on Catamount Drive next to UVM Police Services on the east side of East Avenue. Consult the UVM Libraries Online Catalog for complete information. Unbound journal issues from the current year will be on the shelves in the lounge area.
To search for articles written by a specific author, click on the Author icon above the search box. Enter the author's last name, a space, and the first letter of the first name. From the index display, select all variations of the name, noting that an author may be listed with only a first initial or with both the first and middle initials. To search for an article for which you know only a word or phrase from its title, click on the Title icon and enter the word or phrase in the search box. To search for all articles in the CINAHL database from a given journal, click on the Journal icon. Enter the first word or two of the full journal title (do not use abbreviations.) Cited ReferencesSome CINAHL records contain the full bibliography from the article as listed by the author(s). You can itentify these records by clicking on Complete Reference for that record, and looking for a note under the "Special Fields Contained" heading, or by simply scrolling to the end of the record. A set can be limited to records containing cited references by clicking on More Limits, then checking the "Citations" box found in the top section. Finding articles from peer-reviewed journals in CINAHLTo limit a set of results to articles in peer-reviewed journals, click on More Limits, then select "Peer Reviewed Journals" in the Journal Subsets pull-down box. Finding quantitative research articles in CINAHLCINAHL does have subject headings for both "Quantitative Studies" and "Qualitative Studies", but their use is somewhat inconsistent, so that not all articles that would normally qualify for these subject headings are labeled as such. To circumvent this problem, you can limit to Research Articles and/or Peer-Reviewed Journals and simply scan the abstracts to determine the study type; a labor-intensive strategy, true, but it works. A few other strategies that may prove helpful:
Finding qualitative research articles in CINAHLThis can be handled in a similar fashion as the search for quantitative articles, described above. Again, try limiting to Research Articles and/or Peer-Reviewed Journals, and scanning the abstracts to determine the study type. A few other strategies that may prove helpful:
Q. What do I do if I get too many results?
Q. What do I do if I get too few results?
For more helpIf you would like more help with searching Ovid CINAHL or any of the other bibliographic databases, please contact the Dana Medical Library Reference Desk, 656-2201, send an email to danaref@uvm.edu, or send an AOL Instant Message to our screen name "danaref". Or even (gasp!), come see us in person. We also offer private tutorials and classes to individuals and small groups. Call the reference desk for more information. Frances Delwiche, Reference Librarian, Dana Medical Library, University of Vermont, fdelwich@uvm.edu 11/30/05
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