Using CINAHL for Evidence-based/Research-based Practice: Finding the Evidence

Limiting to “research”
Use this limit feature to find articles that are reports of actual research studies. For more information see Limits.

Specific research methods or study designs
To retrieve studies that employ specific methods or study designs, there are two main options:

• Limit to relevant Publication Types by clicking on the “More Limits” icon on the main search page and using the “Publication Types” drop-down menu. Publication types refer to the type of material indexed rather than to its subject. Publication types related to study design include: “Case Study”; “Clinical Trial”; and “Systematic Review”.
• Use CINAHL Subject Headings to find studies employing methods for which there is no Publication Type. To get an idea of the range of subject headings available, type in the heading “Research Methodology” and look at the narrower headings under it. You will see terms related to “Data Analysis” (e.g., “Data Analysis, Statistical,” “Discourse Analysis”); “Data Collection” (e.g., “Data Collection Methods” such as “Data Mining,” “Focus Groups,” “Narratives”); “Sampling Methods” (e.g., “Convenience Sample,” “Random Sample”); and “Study Design” (e.g., “Experimental Studies,” “Qualitative Studies”). These CINAHL Subject Headings may also be used to find materials that discuss how to conduct research using these methods.