Searching CINAHL
Introduction
Before saving a search or setting up alerts, you will need to create an account.
Saving your search allows you to re-run it later. You can look back at the results, or check if there is anything new. You can also use the search strategy to set up an alert. This will notify you by email when new references are added to the database on your topic.
Saving Your Search Strategy and Setting Up Alerts With CINAHL
1. To save your search, click on the Save Searches / Alerts link at the top of the search history.
2. Give your search a meaningful name, for example: “Melanoma Palliative Care”.
3. Enter a description if necessary, for example: “CINAHL search 15 4 2024”.
4. Make sure Saved search (Permanent) is selected, and then click the Save button.
5. On the next screen, click Continue to complete saving the search.
If you want to re-run a saved search:
1. Sign In to your CINAHL account.
2. Click on the Folder menu item in the top right corner of CINAHL.
3. Click on the Retrieve Saved Search link for the search you want to run.
4. Click Rerun for the top search line.
5. Scroll down to see the results.
Before you save your search as an alert, check that the majority of results are relevant. It is best to only set alerts for quite specific searches – alerts with a high rate of false hits may be more of a hindrance than a help. If you are unsure, please feel free to contact the library. We are always happy to help with creating alerts.
To set up an alert:
1. Click on the Save Searches / Alerts link at the top of the search history.
2. Give your search a meaningful name, for example: “Melanoma Palliative Care”.
3. Enter a description if necessary, for example: “CINAHL email alert”.
4. Select Alert.
5. Set the alert frequency, date range, end date, format, and email options. Then click the Save button.
If you have created a folder for your results , you can also move your search or alert into the folder to have all your project details in one place.
- Click on the Folder menu item in the top right corner of CINAHL.
- Select the Saved Searches or Saved Alerts link in the navigation panel to the left.
- Tick the box beside the search / alert you want to move.
- Then click on the Move To dropdown list and select the folder you want to move it to.
- The search / alert will then appear under your selected folder in the navigation panel to the left.
