LibGuides: Resources for Nursing: Search Databases: MEDLINE & CINAHL

CINAHL Vs MEDLINE

Feature	CINAHL	MEDLINE
Size	Smaller	Larger
Topics	Limited to Nursing	Much broader- nursing as well as medicine
Use when...	The topic is only relevant to nursing	The topic is broadly related to health

Why should I use articles?

Articles are a great source of highly specific information for your research.
Articles can provide the most recent information available.
Articles are an excellent source of historical information.
Articles are available from many different types of publications: scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, chapters in books, conference proceedings, technical reports, trade journals, etc.

Search Databases: MEDLINE & CINAHL

CINAHL Search Tutorial from EBSCO

Search with subject headings whenever possible

Using CINAHL Headings or MEDLINE MESH (Medline Subject Headings) will allow you to narrow your search using specialized terms that MATCH your database and discipline. Each database can have its own specialized vocabulary and subject heardings. The MESH, Thesaurus or Subject searches from the top of the Advanced Search Interface will allow you to find these specialzed terms before you search.