|
What is a database? A database is a collection of individual records. Each record is composed of several fields,such as author, title, source/publication, subject heading. Many databases focus on a particular subject area, such as CINAHL for nursing and PsycINFO for psychology. In bibliographic databases like CINAHL, each record represents one journal article citation, one dissertation, one book citation, etc. Some databases have more full text (meaning the entire article is provided) than others. At WCSU Libraries and many other libraries, web linking technology allows one database to seamlessly link to the full text of an article in another database. Although CINAHL is primarily a citation and abstract only database, web linking transforms it into a full text database. Through WCSU Libraries, researchers can access many articles in full text anytime anywhere--a boon for those working at locations away from campus. Why is using CINAHL better than using Google?CINAHL provides one-stop shopping for scholarly literature and authoritative information that nursing students, professionals and researchers need. WCSU provides CINAHL via Ebscohost database search software. Once you are familiar with CINAHL content and Ebscohost database search features, you will be able to conduct research and find information you need with less effort and less time! The World Wide Web includes a great deal of high quality nursing, medical and allied health information, but unless you have a web address or the name of an authoritative site, it can be very difficult to find high quality, current, and focused information. CINAHL vs. Google? CINAHL wins hand down! |
Top 5 Tips for Searching CINAHL on Ebscohost 1. Practice using the database until you feel comfortable with it--it's worth the investment of time! 2. Get into the habit of scanning each screen for helpful tools, options and help menus. 3. Pick and choose settings depending on your search; you do not have to use all the menus or fill in all boxes during a search! 4. Think of searching as a trial and error process; use your search results to learn how to do it better the next time! 5. When searching by topic, try to limit your results to a manageable number. You shouldn't have to sort through hundreds of results. |
