CINDAR – A Useful Tool for Dietetics Researchers, Practitioners and Students

Have you had an opportunity to use the Canadian Inventory of Nutrition and Dietetic Associated Research (CINDAR) lately? If not, please check it out.

CINDAR is an online resource of dietetic and nutrition research activities. Through this database, researchers can share their work with others and learn who else is doing related research. CINDAR is unique in that it enables users to share updates and to learn about research that is currently in progress. CINDAR also informs practitioners, educators, policy makers, and industry leaders about the nutrition and dietetic research in progress.

CINDAR was developed in 1997 by Dietitians of Canada with funding from CFDR. Currently, both the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences and the Canadian Society of Clinical Nutrition also provide their members with access to CINDAR through direct links on their websites.

The value of CINDAR is in the information contributions of the community of dietetics and nutrition researchers in Canada. Researchers input their latest projects and update their progress as they achieve major milestones in their work. The database presents research summaries when users search by investigator or by key words that the researchers themselves have identified. Directions are available to help users profile their research, upload a CV or photo, or simply create a description of their work for the site. The database also allows for direct links to other websites where more information can be found about the researchers and their work.

CINDAR is a useful database of research projects in many practice areas. Currently, there are hundreds of research projects profiled on CINDAR covering a vast array of research projects. Topics include obesity, infant nutrition needs, disease-specific nutrition interventions, dietetics education, and projects enhancing the profession.

CINDAR can be used for a variety of purposes. For example:

• If you are interested in a particular field of research, you can enter a keyword to find research projects in this area. You might find answers to practice questions.
• If you want to collaborate with someone on a research project, you can find a researcher who is interested in the same type of research.
• If you want to find more information about a specific dietetic researcher, you can search on the researcher’s last name to learn about projects they have done.

CINDAR is an excellent resource for dietetics students. Kayla Glynn, MHSc, RD, Internship Coordinator, Division of Food and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program in Foods and Nutrition at Brescia University College (University of Western Ontario), instructs students on the value of CINDAR. Kayla says, “Our MScFN (Internship Stream) has prepared Guidelines for the MScFN Major Research Project. The guidelines clarify the intern’s responsibilities regarding dissemination of their research. We expect our MScFN interns to submit their research projects to CINDAR. We hope that our graduates appreciate that this aspect of dissemination is a way to give back to the profession while acquiring valuable recognition at the start of their careers.”

For more information on CINDAR, please visit the CFDR website at www.cfdr.ca/cindar.html.

Contact

Isla Horvath
T: (519) 267-0755
E: ihorvath_cfdr@dietitians.ca