Library: CINAHL: Introduction

What is CINAHL?

CINAHL provides details of articles and other documents from academic journals, magazines, pamphlets, guidelines, protocols and many other types of document. It covers a wide range of topics associated with nursing and allied health, from the perspectives of science, education and social sciences. The date coverage is 1981 to present.

Connecting to CINAHL

To connect to CINAHL, click either the CINAHL link in the Library Catalogue or the link in one of the following library webpages: SPS: Search the Literature or Health: Search the Literature. You can also use the following link:

CINAHL This link opens in a new window

Off-campus students and staff: after clicking on a link to CINAHL, you will be asked to enter your University of Bath username and password (unless you are connecting via VPN/UniDesk).

Checking the availability of an article/document

As with most library databases, CINAHL provides abstracts (summaries) of articles/other documents. Some of its search results include a PDF link to the full text but usually, you'll see a blue and white links button within each result. Click the 'Links' button to enter the Library Catalogue - here you'll either find a link to the full document or a statement explaining that the content is unavailable. If the catalogue doesn't provide a link, try clicking on the DOI link within the full CINAHL record (scroll down the screen to find the DOI).
If you're unable to access the full text
If you're signed in to the Library Catalogue, you'll see a link inviting you to request a scan of the document from another library. Click this link to complete a request form. There's a good chance that you'll then receive the scan, either the same day or within two working days: further information about the Inter-Library Loan service.