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NURS303/307 - Nursing Seminar/Nursing Trends: Search CINAHL

Sample CINAHL search

Searching CINAHL

​CINAHL is the top nursing database. It is pronounced SIN-all and stands for the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature.

You might be asked to find nursing research articles published in the last 10 years. Follow the steps to search for an article by clicking on each tab in this box.

The CINAHL database defaults to Basic Search mode. Click on the Advanced Search link above the search bar.

Now that you are in Advanced Search mode, enter your search term. But don't click the SEARCH button just yet! You will want to set your limiters first.

As an example... select the following filters:

  • Full Text
  • English Language
  • Peer Reviewed
  • Publication Date: Past 5 years
  • Journal Subset:  Nursing

 

Now you can click the SEARCH button. 

  • Total results appear at the top of the list.
  • Defaults to relevance ranking; use the dropdown list to sort by date. 
  • To access an article, click on its linked title.
  • Click on the three dots to open the tools bar and get the citation or immediately download the article.
  • Click Access now (PDF) to open article & print it.

Click on an article title that looks interesting to you. Read the abstract to see what the article is about. Don't get discouraged! You may have to tweak your search a few times and look at many articles before you find one you really want to read. This is normal!

Be sure to check all of the criteria that your instructor has given you.

For research articles, be sure to scan the article to see headings such as Purpose, Methods, Results, Discussion.

CINAHL defaults to APA formatted citations. 

If your professor requires a different citation style, use the drop down menu to select the appropriate one.