NUR 3825 Professions of Role Transformation: Library Resources

CINAHL, or Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, includes content to support nursing and allied health professionals. You will be prompted to log in with your Atlas username and password.

Finding Nursing Journals or Articles Written by Nurses

On the Advanced search page of CINAHL, users can explore articles in which a nurse is an author or narrow to nursing journals. Each can be explored separately or simultaneously.

• To explore sources with a nurse as an author, you can either check the box marked "Any Author is Nurse" or "First Author is Nurse".
• To explore sources published in a nursing journal, under Journal Subset select Core Nursing and/or Nursing. If you would like to select both options on a PC hold down the "Ctrl" key and then click on both terms, while on a Mac select the "command" key and then click on both terms.

Finding Qualitative or Quantitative Research

On the Advanced search page of CINAHL, users can explore qualitative or quantitative research. Each can be explored separately or simultaneously.

Search Strategy One

You can search for Qualitative or Quantitative Research using MH Exact Subject Heading in CINAHL. 

• In the first line of the database, I can type quantitative studies and then from the drop-down select MH Exact Subject Heading.

• In the first line of the database, I can type qualitative studies and then from the drop-down select MH Exact Subject Heading.

Search Strategy Two

To explore Qualitative sources, under Clinical Queries, you can select either:

• Qualitative - High Sensitivity (broadest search)
• Qualitative - High Specificity,(most targeted/narrow search)
• Qualitative - Best Balance (a balance of Sensitivity and Specificity)
• If you would like to select all three options on a PC hold down the "Ctrl" key and then click on both terms, while on a Mac select the "command" key and then click on both terms.

To explore Qualitative sources, under Publication Type, you can select either:

• Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research
• If you would like to select all three options on a PC hold down the "Ctrl" key and then click on both terms, while on a Mac select the "command" key and then click on both terms.

Search Strategy Three

• You can also perform a keyword search for qualitative or quantitative research using terms such as "focus group", "ethnological research", "ethnography", "ethnographic research", "ethnonursing research", "interviews", "thematic analysis", "empirical study", "survey", "descriptive study", "cohort study", "qualitative study", "quantitative study", or similar concepts.

CINAHL allows users to create dynamic searches. Below we'll review some of these dynamic features.

Controlled Vocabulary

Some users might be familiar with searching using natural language, the way we speak or using keywords. A keyword is a word or phrase used to describe the main ideas or issues the user is searching for. Natural language and keywords change based on the person, place, or culture. Some examples of keywords include high blood pressure, hyperpiesia, or hyperpiesis.

Library databases use a controlled vocabulary, or specific phrases or terms, that describe the subject matter within a source. Using a controlled vocabulary helps to organize information and provides users with consistent terms to find information. Each library database uses its own controlled vocabulary, so the controlled vocabulary in CINAHL might be different from those used in Academic Search Complete. Most databases allow users to browse the specific controlled vocabulary terms used in that database by clicking on the Subject, Subject Headings, or Thesaurus.

Using Quotation Marks

When searching using keywords or natural language, use "quotation marks" around two or more word phrases or concepts that generally appear together.

• For example, "United States" or "Valencia College".

• The search "Valencia College" with quotations marks will exclude searches such as Valencia, Spain or colleges in Valencia, California.

if the search has no results, you should check for spelling errors or reduce the number of words between the quotation marks.

Using Wild Cards (also known as Truncation)

Wildcards such as an asterisk (*) or question mark (?) are used to replace a part of a word.

Wildcards search keywords with multiple variations in word endings or spelling.

• For example, nurs* will provide results related to nurse, nurses, nursed, and nursing. This allows you to find results for all four concepts in one single search.
• While the question mark (?) wildcard in the search gr?y will provide results for gray and grey.

AND, OR, NOT (Boolean operators)

Databases use terms such as AND, OR, NOT (also known as Boolean operators) to combine keywords to either broaden or narrow search results.

• A general search using asthma will result in many results.

• Using AND narrows search results. If I search for asthma AND air pollution, my results will be narrowed to include both concepts.

• Using OR expands search results. If I search for air pollution OR air pollutants OR air quality, my results will be broadened to include results on air pollution, air pollutants, air quality, and all three.

• Using NOT narrows search results by eliminating items from the search results. If I exclude rural from my search, my results will omit all results that mention this keyword. However, excluding this rural can also exclude results that mention both rural and urban.

Review the video below about using and combing Boolean operators.

Combining Search Tips

CINAHL Subject Headings, quotation marks, wild cards, or Boolean operators can be combined in a search.

Example 1: Using CINAHL Subject Headings, AND, and OR

• I could use the CINAHL Subject Headings asthma, occupational. In the first line of the database, I can type asthma, occupational, and then from the drop-down select SU (Subject heading).

  • Tip: Subject Headings or other controlled vocabulary are specific to a database and should be searched separately from keywords. Two MeSH or subject headings can be combined on the same line using OR.

• Between both boxes keep AND

• In the second box, I can type air pollution OR air pollutants OR air quality.

Example 2: Using CINAHL Subject Headings, AND, OR, and Wild Card

• I could use the CINAHL Subject Headings asthma, occupational. In the first line of the database, I can type asthma, occupational, and then from the drop-down select SU (Subject heading).

  • Tip: Subject Headings or other controlled vocabulary are specific to a database and should be searched separately from keywords. Two subject Headings can be combined on the same line using OR.

• In the second box, I can type air pollut* OR air quality.