LibGuides: Complementary & Alternative Medicine: Articles

Understanding Medical Sources

Key Databases

EBSCOhost This link opens in a new window
The is the link for the entire EBSCO database collection. It is the access point to search multiple databases at the same time.
Academic Search Elite This link opens in a new window
A good general-purpose database that includes both scholarly and popular material covering virtually all subject areas. Some items are available in full text and others are indexed only. Utilize the Subject Terms button in the top bar for more precise results.
CINAHL with Full Text This link opens in a new window
CINAHL® with Full Text is the world's most comprehensive source of full text for nursing & allied health journals, providing full text for more than 610 journals indexed in CINAHL®. This authoritative file contains full text for many of the most used journals in the CINAHL index - with no embargo. Full-text coverage dates back to 1981.
MEDLINE This link opens in a new window
From the National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE contains a wealth of authoritative information about the health sciences and the health care system. Be aware that many of these will need to be accessed via interlibrary loan. Use the MeSH terms link (available in the Advanced Search options) for more precise results.
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials This link opens in a new window
This database is a listing of controlled trials identified by contributors to the Cochrane Collaboration. This bibliography is part of an international effort to hand search worldwide medical journals and create an unbiased source of data. Keyword searching and refining by content type, scope, etc. will serve you best here.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews This link opens in a new window
This medical database contains some full text articles which compare and synthesize the results of multiple other studies. Most studies will focus on "medical interventions," such as nutrient supplementation.
Cochrane Methodology Register This link opens in a new window
This bibliographic database includes journal articles, books and conference proceedings. It contains studies of methods used in reviews and more general methodological studies.

Journals Available Online

British Medical Journal (BMJ)
Every article published since the journal's inaugural issue is available online, though recent issues are only available to subscribers.
CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
Articles available in HTML and PDF full-text; November 1950 - present
PLOS ONE : Public Library of Science
"An international, peer-reviewed, open-access, online publication. PLOS ONE welcomes reports on primary research from any scientific discipline."
PubMedCentral
"...A free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine."
The Botanical Review
Link to our online subscription to the journal

PICO Searching in CINAHL

7 Steps to the Perfect PICO Search
From EBSCOhost, this guide will show you how to do a PICO search for researching evidence-based practice.

Database Searching Tips

Your username and password are the same ones you use to log in to MySHU or your SHU email. If you are having login problems, please contact the Solution Center Help Desk (helpdesk@setonhill.edu or 724-830-1805).

How to search:

In EBSCOhost databases, clicking the "Peer Reviewed" box will limit your search to "scholarly" or "academic" articles.
Type a few keywords in the search box. Choose the words or phrases that best represent your research question or topic.
Use the limiter options to narrow down your results list (limit the date range, source type, etc.).

Finding the article itself (an abstract is a summary, not a source!):

Many articles are in full text; PDF format is best.
In EBSCOhost, the "Access Options" and "Access Now" buttons will link you to the full text.
If we do not have full-text access to an article you need, check our Publication Finder (the "Browse Journal Titles" tab on the library website) to see if we subscribe in print or a different database. If we don't have a subscription, you may request the article through interlibrary loan.