Research Tips & Techniques Guide

Synonyms and Alternate Terms in CINAHL

• CINAHL suggests alternate terms below the search boxes

Autocomplete in Proquest Central

• starting typing and suggestions will appear below

How to find synonyms

• brainstorm related or umbrella terms

• keywords from the textbook, syllabus, lecture notes

• research in reference sources, such as dictionaries or encyclopedias

• read a basic article for searchable keywords

• consult a thesaurus 

Acronyms are a type of synonym

• IT OR “Information Technology”

• HR OR "Human Resources" 

• watch out for acronyms that have more than one meaning eg. ANA = "anti-nuclear antibody pattern", Afghan National Army, American Nurses Association

Linking Synonyms

• "global warming” OR "climate change” will retrieve either phrase

• "global warming" AND "climate change" will retrieve ONLY content with both phrases