Library FAQs
Use this FAQ section to learn how to optimize your search in the AORN Journal and other available resources.
- How to access the Journal and find what you need
- How to access CINAHL
- Other resources and services that are available
Using the AORN Journal Online
- How can I get copies of older AORN Journal articles?
- How do I access the AORN Journal online?
- What if I've forgotten my username or password?
- I know which AORN Journal article I want. How can I get a copy?
- I know an issue of the AORN Journal included an article on a particular topic, but I don't know which issue it was. How can I find the article?
- I am interested in information on a particular topic, but I don't know whether the AORN Journal ever included an article on that topic. How can I determine if it did?
- I didn't find what I wanted using a basic search. How do I conduct an advanced search?
- I've been browsing and searching the AORN Journal. How do I return to the current issue?
Other Journal Resources
- How do I find articles in other journals?
- What if I want the full text of an article (not from the AORN Journal)?
Library Search Services
Using the AORN Journal Online
How can I get copies of older AORN Journal articles?
As an AORN member, you have online access to full text of the articles in the current issue and all past issues of the AORN Journal.
How do I access the AORN Journal online?
To access the journal online:
1. Go to http://www.aorn.org.
2. Click on the "+AORN Journal" button, which is above and to the left of the member login
boxes. A new Web page will open, and you will have two options for accessing the journal.
Your choice will be determined by whether you have already logged on to the AORN web site.
a. If you have not already logged on to http://www.aorn.org, select "Login as an AORN
member." You will then be taken to a page where you will provide your username and
password. After you log in, the AORN Journal homepage, which features the current issue of
the journal, will open.
b. If you have already logged on to http://www.aorn.org, select "Access the AORN Journal
now." You will be taken to the AORN Journal homepage, which displays the current issue of
the journal.
What if I've forgotten my username or password?
On the AORN homepage, click on "Forgot Password." After you've provided your e-mail address, AORN will send your username and password to that address.
I know which AORN Journal article I want. How can I get a copy?
If you want to retrieve a specific article and you know which issue of the journal it appeared in, choose "Browse All Issues" on the beige bar on the left side of the AORN Journal homepage. You will then see links to previous issues of the journal; select the one that includes the article you're interested in. The table of contents for that issue will open, and you can select the article from there.
I know an issue of the AORN Journal included an article on a particular topic, but I don't know which issue it was. How can I find the article?
Start with a basic search. Type your search term in the search box located on the upper right portion of the journal homepage. Begin the search by selecting "This Periodical" and typing your search term into the adjacent search box and clicking on "Go." The results of your search will then appear on the screen.
Be aware, though, that very common or generic terms (for example, patient safety) could result in a burdensome number of hits, so be as detailed or specific as possible in choosing your search terms. You might also consider trying an advanced search.
I am interested in information on a particular topic, but I don't know whether the AORN Journal ever included an article on that topic. How can I determine if it did?
Start with a basic search: select "This Periodical" in the upper right section of the screen, type your search term into the adjacent search box, and click on "Go." Your search results will appear as a list in the center of the screen.
If you search for articles on a broad topic, such as patient safety, your search results may number in the hundreds or even thousands, so be more specific when choosing your search term. You might also consider trying an advanced search.
I didn't find what I wanted using a basic search. How do I conduct an advanced search?
To conduct an advanced search, click on "Search Journal" in the beige bar at the left side of the screen or click on Advanced Search underneath the "This Periodical" box at the top right of the Journal homepage.
If you select "Search Journal," begin by entering your search term or terms in the white box at the center of the screen. Try enclosing multi-word search terms in quotation marks, as that will limit your results to articles that contain the exact phrase rather than simply both words (for example, "overweight children" rather than overweight children).
You can refine your results by specifying where in the article your search term must appear. This distinction may be important if you want to exclude articles that include only passing mention of your search term. To restrict your results to articles in which the search term appears in a particular section of the article (for example, Abstract + Citation), select the appropriate location from the drop-down menu to the right of the search box.
To limit your results to articles published within a certain time period, go to the Dates box and choose either a pre-established span of time (for example, Previous week or Previous five years) or specify a range of months and years.
For more tips on conducting advanced searches, click on Search Tips, which appears underneath the basic-search box.
I've been browsing and searching the AORN Journal. How do I return to the current issue?
To access the current issue of the journal, choose Current Issue from the beige bar at the left side of the screen.
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Other Journal Resources
How do I find articles in other journals?
CINAHL® and MEDLINE are good choices if you're interested in finding articles in journals other than the AORN Journal. However, neither CINAHL nor MEDLINE provides full-text articles.
CINAHL, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database, includes citations from more than 1,000 nursing and allied-health journals, and as a member of the American Nurses Association, you can search it to find article references. To search CINAHL:
1. Log in at www.nursingworld.org. The AORN member login is "OR" plus your member
number (e.g., OR123456); your password is your last name.
2. Go to the Members Only section.
3. Under the Just for Members section on the left side of the screen, choose CINAHL.
4. Choose To get started in the middle of the screen.
Once you are in the CINAHL database, you can use the Help button at the top of the screen for directions.
MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database, includes citations from more than 5,000 medical and bioscience journals, and you can search it using either the AORN Journal site or PubMed, an NLM search system.
To search MEDLINE via the AORN Journal, log on to the journal and choose the Advanced Search option. Once you have arrived at the advanced-search screen, check "Include MEDLINE" in the yellow box.
To search MEDLINE via PubMed, go to PubMed.gov. For more information on using PubMed, see their training materials.
If your facility has a library, check with the staff to see if it has the journal in which the article appeared. If your facility does not have a library or if the library does not have the journal issue you need, consider interlibrary loan (ILL). Using ILL, libraries can borrow from other libraries texts they need but don't have. Speak with your facility library staff or public library staff about requesting the article via ILL.
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Library Search Services
What can I expect from the fee-based AORN literature search service?
If you contact the AORN library for a literature search, a librarian will use the information you provide to search relevant databases, government sources, association web sites, and other Internet content to find reputable data that meet your specifications.
When the librarian has completed your search, you will receive a list of references. Due to copyright restrictions, the library cannot provide full-text articles. Keep in mind, though, that as a member, you have access to full-text articles in the AORN Journal; if the article you need appears in a journal other than AORN's, consider an interlibrary loan.