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What is a database? A database is a collection of individual records. Each record is composed of several fields,such as author, title, source/publication, subject heading. Many databases focus on a particular subject area, such as CINAHL for nursing and PsycINFO for psychology. In bibliographic databases like CINAHL, each record represents one journal article citation, one dissertation, one book citation, etc. Some databases have more full text (meaning the entire article is provided) than others. At WCSU Libraries and many other libraries, web linking technology allows one database to seamlessly link to the full text of an article in another database. Although CINAHL is primarily a citation and abstract only database, web linking transforms it into a full text database. Through WCSU Libraries, researchers can access many articles in full text anytime anywhere--a boon for those working at locations away from campus. Why is using CINAHL better than using Google?CINAHL provides one-stop shopping for scholarly literature and authoritative information that nursing students, professionals and researchers need. WCSU provides CINAHL via Ebscohost database search software. Once you are familiar with CINAHL content and Ebscohost database search features, you will be able to conduct research and find information you need with less effort and less time! The World Wide Web includes a great deal of high quality nursing, medical and allied health information, but unless you have a web address or the name of an authoritative site, it can be very difficult to find high quality, current, and focused information. CINAHL vs. Google? CINAHL wins hand down! |
Top 5 Tips for Searching CINAHL on Ebscohost
1. Practice using the database until you feel comfortable with it--it's worth the investment of time!
2. Get into the habit of scanning each screen for helpful tools, options and help menus.
3. Pick and choose settings depending on your search; you do not have to use all the menus or fill in all boxes during a search!
4. Think of searching as a trial and error process; use your search results to learn how to do it better the next time!
5. When searching by topic, try to limit your results to a manageable number. You shouldn't have to sort through hundreds of results.
Use the basic search screen for searching for single words and phrases. Use of Boolean search logic is recommended for more focused search results.
Search LIMITERS
Depending on your search, you will want to limit your results by such criteria as:
Search EXPANDERS
Use these if your result set is too small, or you are unsure of search vocabulary:
Advanced searching can also be thought of as "building blocks" searching. Using this search screen you build a Boolean search by filling in words you want to find in specific fields, such as keyword, subject heading, title or author, and then specifying whether they are connected by AND, OR, or NOT. CINAHL offers many ways to focus in; you can limit results by such categories as "Evidence-Based Practice" and "Continuing Education." Study the menu options to help you utilize this feature effectively.
CINAHL Headings is a very useful tool for determining your search vocabulary and learning how your topic is referred to in the literature. Each item in the database is assigned a set of subject terms or headings that describe the content of that item. There are more than 10,600 main subject headings as well as thousands of cross-references (for example, you'll see "used for" when one subject heading has been replaced for a new one). CINAHL Headings are updated annually by subject specialists. CINAHL accepts the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) as the standard vocabulary for disease, drug, anatomical, and physiological concepts.
CINAHL headings are arranged in a hierarchy, or Tree View that permits searching at various levels of detail from the most general level to more narrow levels to find the most precise terms. Tree views in CINAHL can simply be used to identify subject vocabulary OR can be used to construct your search in EBSCOHost. Tree Views can be used as a search builder, offering a menu of choices. The following options can be selected to expand or limit your search in powerful ways:
Explode - When you select Explode for a term, you are adding terms that are related to the subject of interest, but are more specific.
Major Concept - When you select Major Concept for a term, you are asking the database to locate only those item records assigned that term as a subject heading.
Combining Explode and Major Concept - If you select both of these, you retrieve all item records indexed to your term (and its narrower terms) and all articles for which the subject heading is a major point of the article.
Qualify Subheadings - Use these to further focus your results to certain areas, such as diagnosis or pathology.
