This document provides instructions for using CINAHL, a database for nursing and allied health literature. It describes how to sign in to CINAHL through EBSCOhost, search using subject headings, combine search terms, save searches, limit results, and access full text. It emphasizes using subject headings to find the preferred terminology, exploding terms, and saving searches. Contact information is provided for getting help with CINAHL or technical issues.

1. CINAHL Instruction October 2, 2008 Robin Featherstone, Research & Instructional Librarian (Nursing) [email_address] (510) 661-2111 ext: 86383 http://www.lib.uwo.ca/programs/nursing

4. Step 1: sign in ↓ ← Step 2: select “Databases by Title”

5. Step 3: select “C” (for CINAHL) ↓

6. Step 4: scroll down ↓ Step 5: select CINAHL->

7. Step 6: sign in to My EBSCOhost ->

8. ← Step 7: select “I’m a new user”

9. Step 9: Submit↓ Step 8: Enter your information... Doesn’t have to be your UWO username and password (but it might be easier to remember)

10. Done! You now have an account with EBSCO. This means you can save your searches and your selected articles.

12. ↑ Step 1: Select “CINAHL Headings”

13. Step 2: State your search Example: “I am looking for information on nutrition and aging ” ↑ Step 3: Enter your first term. This is where you’ll search for the “preferred” terminology that CINAHL uses. So don’t worry about picking the perfect word now. We’ll pick later from the list of CINAHL headings the system suggests. ↑ Step 4: Click “Browse”

14. ← Step 5: Click on the term “Nutrition” to learn more about the term. The next screen will also give you other related terms you may want to search too.

15. ← Step 9: Select “Search Database” ← Step 8: Choose to “explode” this term so that you get all the articles dealing with the sub-topics too. ← Step 7: Notice that these sub-topics occur under the heading “Nutrition” in the subject tree. ← Step 6: Read the “Scope” note to find out more about the term.

16. ↑ Step 10: Select “CINAHL Headings” again to search for your second term

17. ↑ Step 11: Enter your second term. ↑ Step 12: Click “Browse”

18. ← Step 13 : Click on the term

19. ← Step 14 : Read the scope note ← Step 15 : Notice the sub-topic

20. ← Step 16 : Select to search the sub-topic “Longevity” as a Major Concept ← Step 17: Select “Search Database”

22. ← Step 1 : If your search history isn’t displayed on the screen, select “Search History/Alerts” ← Step 2 : Clear your search box

23. ↖ ↙ Step 3 : Select the check boxes next to your two searches ← Step 4 :Leave the drop-down box on the operator “and,” then select “Add”

24. ← Step 5: Select “Search” ↖ Notice your two searches have now been added to the search box.

25. Your new combined search has yielded 99 results ↘

27. ↑ Step 1: Select “Save Searches/Alerts” to save your work.

28. ← Step 2: Give your search a name you’ll recognize ← Step 3: Save

29. ↑ Select “Retrieve Searches” to find your search again

31. Step 1: Scroll down the page to see your result set, or click on “View Results” ->

32. Step 2: Select “Search Options” to choose your limiters ->

33. ← Step 3: Add a date range from 2003 to 2008 to limit to articles published in the last 5 years. ← Step 4: Select “Female” to get articles about women specifically Step 5: Search ->

34. Notice you now have 10 results. Select “View Results” to review them ↘

36. ← Step 1: Quickly review your citations and select “Add to folder” to isolate the ones you would like to look at more closely. ↑ Step 2: Select “Folder View” once you are done picking your citations.

37. ←↗ Step 4: Create a new folder if you would like to save your citations to your MyEBSCO Host account ← Step 3: Select all Use these icons to either print, email, save (as a web document), or export your citations ↙↓↘ ← Step 5: Use the “Move To” drop-down list to move the selected citations to your new folder.

39. ← Step 1: Select the “Get it @ Western” button

40. ← Step 2: Select “Go” to link to the full-text of the article through our online subscriptions.

41. The link should take you to the full-text of the article. Look for the PDF link -> which will open a version of the article complete with page numbers (essential for quotations).

42. ← If we don’t have an electronic version available, try the UWO Catalogue to find the call number for the print version

43. ← Note the call number so that you can find the print version in the library.