Trouble-shooting Your CINAHL Search Results

Too Much Information

Did you use precise terminology or locate relevant Subject Headings?
Use more specific terminology or focused subject headings to reduce results.
  1. Click on the link for "CINAHL Headings" in the green menu bar.
  2. Type your term in the Browse for box and click Browse.
  3. Click on the subject term to see broader, related and narrower terms. Click on [Scope] to see a definition of the term.
  4. After clicking on the subject term, you will see the Tree View. Within this tree, your term will appear in bold. Under the term will be related terms.
  5. Above the tree, your term is listed in a gray row. Check the box next to the term to include it in your search. You can also check the box in the right column next to "Major Concept" to focus the search to articles where the subject heading is a major point of the article.
  6. To include related terms, click on the linked term. Again you will see the tree view. Follow the steps from #5 to add the term to your search.
  7. After selecting all of the terms you would like to search, to run the search click on the Search Database button

Did you use the Limits?
CINAHL, like many databases, provides special limiting features. On the search screen under the search boxes you will see limits. Common limiters include Peer Reviewed, Publication Type, and Age Groups.

Too Little Information

Did you spell your search terms correctly?
CINAHL can not correct for misspellings.

Did you keep it simple?
If you enter a long string of words without an AND or OR, CINAHL will attempt to to find all of those words in the precise order given. Reduce your search to essential words connected by 'AND'.

Instead of Identifying domestic violence in Hmong patients
Try Domestic violence AND Hmong

Did you try different words or broader terminology?
Researchers will describe the same topic differently. Think of synonyms or broader descriptors for your search terminology.

Synonyms – Concept 1 Domestic violence OR intimate partner violence OR spousal abuse
Synonyms – Concept 2 Hmong OR Hmung OR H'moong OR Hmu OR Mong
Narrow search Hmong patients AND intimate partner violence
Broad search Hmong AND violence

The Wrong Information

Did you limit your search to the title field or subject headings?
Off topic search results usually happen when the terms for which you are searching appear somewhere in the abstract or body of text but the article as a whole is not focused on the terms/topic. Increase your chances of more focused results by limiting your search terms to the title field. You can also focus your search more precisely by using Subject Headings. See instructions above under Did you use precise terminology or locate relevant Subject Headings?

Does the scope or coverage of the database fit your topic?
Although CINAHL indexes the most nursing journals of any database, it will not always be the best database. Many medical research studies are performed by professionals outside of the nursing field and published in journals not indexed by CINAHL. If you have a clinical research topic consider searching PubMed. If you are looking at psychological aspects of healing and care, also try PsycInfo. Research in community health may necessitate searching Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts and Social Work Abstracts. Consult a librarian if you have a database question.