Need Help?
Need research help and not sure where to turn? Get help from the library via email, chat, and online appointments or stop by one of our reference desks during open hours of operation.
Want to contact your Nursing & Health Sciences Librarian or set up a virtual or F2F appointment with her? Email Debra Smith: smithkak@cod.edu
Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
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CINAHL Complete
CINAHL is the go-to journal article database for Nursing & Health Sciences students. It covers nursing, allied health, biomedical and consumer health journals, publications of the American Nursing Association, and the National League for Nursing. Use the subject headings and limiters to refine searches and access full-text nursing and clinical journals.
Need help with PICO (sometimes called PICOT)?
PICO (or PICOT) is an acronym that stands for the following elements:
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P – Population, problem or patient: Identify the patient problem or population. Describe either the patient's chief complaint or generalize the patient's comparison to a larger population.
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I - Intervention: Include the use of a specific diagnostic test, treatment, adjunctive therapy, medication or recommendation to the patient to use a product or procedure.
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C - Comparison: The main alternative you are considering. It should be specific and limited to one alternative.
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O – Outcome: Specify the result(s) of what you plan to accomplish, improve or affect and should be measurable. Specific outcomes will yield better search results and allow you to find the studies that focus on the outcomes you are searching for.
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T – Time (optional): Specify the time frame needed to achieve the Outcome.
PICO is a tool that helps researchers create focused, effective research questions and search strategies, making their queries more precise
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Medical Research WorksheetMedical Research is vastly different than the quick Google searches we are used to performing. It is not uncommon to spend 30-45 minutes creating and refining search strategy(ies) for a given medical question. Use this worksheet to help you identify all the essential elements of your query. This worksheet can also help information professionals like Librarians assist clients with their medical reference questions.
Using the CINAHL/MeSH Headings
- CINAHL headings are controlled vocabulary (subject headings) that represent concepts. Using subject headings allows you to create more thorough searches than if you just use keywords.
- For example, searching the CINAHL heading “myocardial infarction” finds articles containing all synonyms including Heart Attack; Infarction, Myocardial; Myocardiac Infarction; Myocardial Infarctions; Heart Attacks; Infarctions Myocardial; Myocardiac Infarctions; MI
For additional information on using CINAHL headings, check out the
Using CINAHL/MeSH Headings - Help Sheet
This tutorial demonstrates how to create a targeted search using the CINAHL/MeSH Headings (3:52)
Requesting Articles
If you find a citation for an article that you'd like, but no full-text is available (or you're being asked to pay for the article)...
Follow the steps below:
- Start by searching the journal name (NOT the article title) Journal Locator.
- If the result indicates that the journal is available in a COD database, click on the database link and search by article title.
- If there are no relevant results, go to InterLibrary Loan forms.
- Fill out the Article form. In about 3-5 business days, an electronic copy of the article will be delivered to your email.
Walking the Talk: Infusing Evidence-Based Inquiry in NHS Instruction
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Research in the Health Sciences: Myths and Realities PresentationDuring this "myth busting" presentation explore what students "think" they know about building clinical queries and performing medical research versus their actual skill level. Learn simple instructional "tips" that help address student research "gaps."
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Research in the Health Sciences: Myths & Realities Explanatory HandoutThis useful handout expanding upon the presentation of the same name presents each "myth" and provides a detailed "reality"
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Medical Research WorksheetMedical Research is vastly different than the quick Google searches we are used to performing. It is not uncommon to spend 30-45 minutes creating and refining search strategy(ies) for a given medical question. Use this worksheet to help you identify all the essential elements of your query. This worksheet can also help information professionals like Librarians assist clients with their medical reference questions.