NURS 5024 - Nursing - Dallas - LibGuides at Texas Womans University

Help with Search Terms

Controlled Vocabulary

CINAHL Headings
Controlled Vocabulary for the fields of Nursing and Allied Health
ERIC Thesaurus
Controlled Vocabulary for the field of Education
Medline MeSH
Controlled Vocabulary for the BioMedical Sciences
PsycINFO Thesaurus
Controlled Vocabulary for the field of Mental Health

Once you have your Research Question, follow these Steps in the Search Process:

Test your topic with a quick Google Scholar search. Is anything published on your topic?
DO NOT look for specific articles YET! (Studies found in Google may not be peer reviewed or rigorous.)

Make a plan.
Decide which databases you will search in what specific order, have search terms ready, etc.
Work the plan. Use Boolean logic, limiters, controlled vocabulary, etc.
Be consistent!

SUGGESTED Databases:

CINAHL Complete This link opens in a new window
Use CINAHL Headings for controlled vocabulary and explode option.
Select Limits (age range, peer review, date range, publication type).
Nursing & Allied Health Database (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Use multiple search terms from CINAHL, PubMed MeSH, PsycINFO, etc.
Select Limits: age range, date range, etc.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
Use MeSH for search terms.
Use Subject Headings and Filters when searching.
Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window
Check Reference Lists for studies within the last 5 years
STAT!Ref (now TDS Health) This link opens in a new window
Database of medical ebooks.
Good for background information, definitions, diagnoses, symptoms, etc.