You've mastered the Search Everything box on the library homepage and are feeling ready to tackle your Week 4 assignment. But as you review the assignment rubric, you spot a requirement to find scholarly sources in a specific database (like CINAHL). Wait… what exactly is a database? Don't worry—we're here to help you figure that out!
A database is a searchable index that stores information sources in electronic format (articles, books, newspapers, etc.). Much like the Search Everything box, databases allow you to search these sources. Even though the Search Everything and databases seem similar, they are two different systems.
Let’s break it down. The Search Everything box is known as a discovery system because it searches many of our databases simultaneously, giving you more sources for your assignment. For this reason, we recommend starting your search there. When you search a database, it only searches that database, meaning it yields fewer results than the Search Everything.
Nevertheless, a requirement is a requirement, so off to find the databases you go. But wait, where are the databases? We cover that in the first tip, so keep moving down the page to find out. One more thing before you dive into the tips: We are here to help you with search strategies. If you need help understanding the assignment, please contact your professor. That said, below are four tips that will help you become a database master in Week 4.
Tip 1: Find Library Databases
You can find the databases in the lower-left corner of the library homepage. The Database Shortcuts list highlights our most popular databases, and you can access the rest of the databases below it using the A to Z buttons. Select the All button to go to our complete list of databases.
Tip 2: Filter the Databases by Subject
Selecting a database A to Z or All button from the library homepage will take you to our Database A to Z page. While all the databases on this page have descriptions, knowing which database is best for your topic may still be challenging. Because of this, we’ve categorized each database by subject, type, and vendor. You can find these categories in the drop-down menus at the top of the database list. We recommend the Subjects filter for choosing the best database for your topic.
Tip 3: Learn to Use Library Databases
You may use the same search strategies in both the Search Everything and databases. For instance, if you are looking for wound care prevention, you can search “wound care” AND prevention in the Search Everything or whichever database you must use. It’s important to note that each database has unique filters for narrowing your search results. The videos and FAQ below will demonstrate those features for some of our more popular databases.
 |  |
 |  |
 |
To learn more, check out our database tutorials in the How do I use popular library databases FAQ.
Tip 4: Discover the CINAHL Database
CINAHL is the largest nursing database we subscribe to, so it may be a requirement for your assignments. It hosts filters, such as age group, special interest (i.e., critical care, nursing education, etc.), journal subset (i.e., alternative/complementary therapies, nursing, etc.), and more. Because this is a highly-requested database, we created the video and tutorial below demonstrating how to use it.
We also have a CINAHL tutorial if you are looking for something more hands on!
As always, if you have any further questions, please use the Get Research Help button in the upper-right corner of the website to contact us!