Skip to Main Content

CINAHL Guided Exercise: 9. Saving and Sharing Search History

9. Using your Search and Results

 

To save search history and set up alerts, click "Sign In" on the right of the top toolbar. This will prompt you to enter your CWL again.

While you do not need to sign in this second time to search CINAHL, it is advisable if you want to be able to save and return to your searches.

Your search results can be added to a folder, emailed, or downloaded for import to citation management software (such as Mendeley, Refworks, Endnote or Zotero) or to knowledge synthesis tools such as Covidence

Step by Step: Using the Results of Your Search

Save your Search

  1. You will need to sign in to save your search
  2. Above your Search History, Click the Save Search / Alerts link
    • Enter a Search Name. We recommend adding the word CINAHL to the search name as there are several databases on this same platform.
    • Comment (Optional)
    • Saved Search (Permanent) is selected by default
    • Save
  3. Your Search History has been saved
To re-run your saved search
  1. Click Retrieve Searches to review your Saved Searches
  2. Find the search in your list and click Retrieve Saved Search
 
Video Demo: CINAHL - Saving your Search Results

Exporting Results

To export citations to a citation management tool:
Exporting selected results:
  1. To the right of each search result you would like to save, click the Folder icon.
  2. At the top of the page, find the Folder button.
  3. Click either Select all or the checkboxes for individual items.
  4. Click Export on the right side of the page..
  5. At the top of the page, find the Folder button.
  6. Select your preferences:
    1. Choose whether you want to maintain the folder's contents or remove items you've exported.
    2. If you are using Zotero or Mendeley, keep the top option Direct Export in RIS Format selected. Otherwise, select the appropriate format.
  7. Click Save
Exporting bulk results:
  1. Find the Share menu on the right over the search results.
  2. Use the Format dropdown menu to Select the format of the export (Refworks is the default format)
  3. In the Fields dropdown menu Select Complete Reference
  4. Click Export
 
Video Demo: Medline - Exporting Search Results

Sharing Your Search

At times you may wish to share your search with your supervisor, research team, or with your librarian prior to a consult.

You can share your Search directly from CINAHL. 

  • Under Share, select & copy the link in the Use Permalink box.
  • Anyone accessing this link will be prompted to login with the CWL, then can see the results of your search though not its complete history.

To share your Search History, use the Print Search History link and use the Print to PDF feature to share it as a document.

CINAHL: Sharing your search

CINAHL: Sharing your search history

Saving your Search and Results

  1. click "Sign In" on the right of the top toolbar. This will prompt you to enter your CWL again.
    • Go back to the Search page
    • Save your search strategy
  2. Export all, or a few, results to a citation management tool [Note: use RIS format to export to Mendeley or Covidence].