1. 10 Top Tips for Getting the Most out of HINARI

2. User Name/Password
Share the institutional User Name/Password with researchers, professors and students within your institution
Do not put the password on the Internet (violation of HINARI license agreement)
Do share the password with all legitimate members of your registered institution (see HINARI DOs and DONTs)
Share the password during training workshops and 1:1 training sessions

3. HINARI Link
Put a link to HINARI on your institution’s or library’s website
Use either the ‘about HINARI’ url or
Directly link to the journals and databases
Remember, do not put the user name and password on the website

4. Promote HINARI
Be proactive about passing on information about HINARI (see the ‘Training Users on HINARI’ module)
Arrange training/orientation sessions with the researchers, professors and students in your institution (see the ‘HINARI Short Course’ module)
Incorporate HINARI training into course curriculums
Promote HINARI informally; visit offices and attend meetings
Develop a local listserv; websites are constantly changing; keep staff and users up-to-date
No time is too short to teach someone something new about HINARI! Seize the ‘teachable moment.’

5. Training Resources Use available training resources
To download the up-to date- training materials, see:
For a copy of the training CD, contact HINARI
In Africa, contact ITOCA for a copy of the CD

6. HINARI Posters and Leaflets
Order HINARI posters and leaflets and display these in your library or medical department.
Material is available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian
Print copies from

7. Adobe Acrobat Reader
To read the full-text journal articles, download Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7 (or the latest) for free from: htttp://
To configure Adobe Acrobat Reader:
1) From the menu bar, select....  Edit -> Preferences
2) Select the 'Internet' category 3) Ensure all the 'Web Browser Options' are checked:         o Display PDF in Browser         o Allow fast web view         o Allow speculative downloading in the background

8. Trouble Shooting
If you have problems accessing HINARI, refresh your screen by clicking on the ‘Refresh’ button. You may be working from a cache of the website that is on your computer or local network.
If your Internet access/bandwidth is slow, close other Internet pages so that only HINARI is open. This may speed up access and downloading.

9. Email Alerts Sign up for free ‘email alerts’ for key journals
Also called ‘ table of contents’ alerts
Via , you receive table of contents lists for each new issue
Register via the publishers’ websites
Distribute these ‘alerts’ to interested users

10. List of Available Journal Titles
Print out the complete list of titles for ‘offline’ consultations
As of May 2007, list is 41 A4 pages long!
List is very useful for ‘Band 2’ countries since, for institutions in this category, it verifies access to journals

11. Number 10 Add your own ‘Top 10 Tips’
Think of other ideas that would be useful in your institutional setting
For further useful information, go to ’Frequently Asked Questions’ or ‘HINARI DOs and DON’Ts’ on the training page:
‘Top 10 Tips’ Source:
HINARI E-newsletter, Issue 2, May 2007
Updated