Limiters and Expanders

You can also select any limiters or expanders available in the database you are searching. Get into a habit of scanning your database search screen to see what limiters and expanders are available to you. Advanced search screens tend to have more options than Basic search screens.

In CINAHL, useful limiters include:

• Date of publication (useful for retrieving most current literature)
• Peer reviewed (use to retrieve scholarly articles from refereed journals)
• Full text articles (use only if you need to retrieve the full article right away; NOT recommended if you are conducting a comprehensive search)
  • Full text articles will either be in PDF or HTML format. PDF documents use Adobe Acrobat software and present an exact image of the original print-based article; HTML documents present article text in a web-based format. HTML documents do not include original print pagination, therefore reference list citations must include the database from which they were retrieved.
• Evidence Based Practice
• Publication type (journal article vs. practice guidelines, for example)

Be sure to explore the "search tips" and "help" screens of the database you are using to see the options that are available. Searching has never been this easy or powerful!