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Dykes Library

PubMed Tipsheet


For a hands-on tour of PubMed, try their tutorial: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/pubmed_tutorial/m1001.html

We also offer a printable, more detailed tipsheet (Word document).

What is PubMed?

PubMed provides access to MEDLINE, a clinical medical literature database, as well as the molecular biology databases included in the NCBI system.

Developing a Search Strategy

Before you can search for any information, you need to develop your search strategy.

  • Identify the key concepts you are looking for (i.e. high blood pressure and salt)
  • Determine any alternative terms or synonyms for your concepts (i.e. hypertension, sodium).
  • Define your search limitations as appropriate. (i.e. dates, language, age groups, etc.)

Types of Searches


Searching by Keyword

A keyword search is the most basic type of search, but can also retrieve a large number of unwanted results. To search by Keyword:

  • Use the search box at the top of the PubMed homepage.
  • Type in the term(s) representing your topic.
  • Click on Go.

You may use an asterisk (*) to retrieve up to 150 variations for a term. For example, diet* will retrieve diet, dietal, dietan, dietary, etc. This is known as a wildcard or truncation symbol.

Searching by Subject using MeSH

Using a thesaurus is the most effective way of searching a database by subject. To search by Subject (MeSH):

  • Click on the MeSH Database link on the left side of the PubMed window.
  • Type one or two words representing your topic and click on Go.
  • Chose the most appropriate MeSH term from those displayed and click on the blue highlighted term
  • You will be able to:
    • Check the box next to the main term to search it without subheadings
    • Select subheadings to limit your search.
    • Restrict your search to Major Topic headings only.
    • Choose Do Not Explode to search the single term only, excluding any narrower subject terms.
    • View links to any related terms
  • Click on the Send To button to add the term to your search.
  • If you want to add additional concepts to your search, search the MeSH browser again and add the appropriate terms using the Send To button and appropriate Boolean operator
  • Review the selected term(s) and subheadings in the PubMed search box.
  • Click on PubMed Search to begin the search.
  • New PubMed citations which are “in progress” are still being processed and have not yet had MeSH terms assigned to them, so they will not be found using the MeSH browser. Use keyword searching to find the most recent citations.

Combining Terms with Boolean Operators

You may combine terms using the Boolean operators AND, OR, or NOT. These Boolean operators must be entered using capital letters.

  • AND narrows a search. i.e. "breast cancer AND tamoxifen"
  • OR broadens a search. i.e. "high blood pressure OR hypertension"
  • NOT excludes terms. Use this operator carefully! i.e. "lead poisoning NOT children"

Searching by Author

The index provides an excellent resource for help in determining the accurate representation of the names of authors or other database terms.

  • Click on Preview/Index.
  • Use the pull-down menu at the bottom to select the Author field.
  • Type the last name (or the first few letters) and click on Index.
  • The list of results, in a scrolled box, can be moved alphabetically backwards or forwards, by clicking on Up or Down.
  • Note that, depending on the journal, the same author may be listed by their first initial, first and middle initial or first name. (i.e. Smith A, Smith AR or Smith Anne)
  • To add an entry to the search, highlight the author’s name from the list and click on one of the Boolean operator (AND, OR, or NOT) buttons.
  • Click on Go to begin your search.

Searching by Journal

Use the Journals Database to search by journal title, MEDLINE journal abbreviation, or a few words from the journal title.

  • Click on the Journals Database link.
  • Enter the journal title, MEDLINE abbreviation, ISSN, or use a single word or adjacent words from the title.
  • Click on Go.
  • Click on Links and select PubMed to display the PubMed citations from that journal.

Searching for a Specific Citation

The Single Citation Matcher requires only a few elements of a citation to retrieve a complete PubMed citation.

  • Click on Single Citation Matcher.
  • Enter any combination of the journal title, year, volume, issue, first page, or author’s name.
  • Click on Search.

Searching for Evidence Based Medicine

PubMed’s Clinical Queries are customized search strategies that are designed to retrieve evidence based information based on pre-selected search filters. First, select the desired search type: Clinical Queries or Systematic Reviews.

For Clinical Queries:

  • Click on one of the following study categories:
    • Therapy
    • Diagnosis
    • Etiology
    • Prognosis
  • Click on one of the emphasis categories:
    • Sensitivity: use this filter to increase the number of results.
    • Specificity: use this filter to increase the precision of results.
  • Enter desired search terms in the subject search box and click on Go

For Systematic Reviews:

  • Enter desired search terms in the subject search box and click on Go

Working with Your Search


Limiting Your Search

Limits can be used to refine or narrow your search. To apply limits to a search:

  • Click on Limits.
  • Use the pull-down menus to select the specific limit(s) you want to set.
  • Click on Go.

When limits are applied, the limit categories will be listed in yellow under the search box. To remove limits, uncheck the box next to Limits under the search box.

Mark Records to View, Print, or Download

NOTE:  Use your browser’s Back button or the History link to review your original list of citations. Items in History are lost after one hour of inactivity.

Display:

  • Check the box next to the record number for each desired citation.
  • Click on Display to view marked records.
  • Use Display and Send to options to change the display format and to save, print or order.
  • Use your browser’s Print function to print records.

Clipboard:

  • Check the box next to the record number for each desired citation.
  • Select Clipboard from the drop down menu and click on Send to.
  • When a record is added to the Clipboard, the record number changes color (usually Green).
  • Records added to the Clipboard are lost after one hour of inactivity.
  • Click on the Clipboard link to view records in the Clipboard.
  • PubMed uses cookies to add your selections to the Clipboard. In order for you to use this feature your web browser must be set to accept cookies.

Save a Search Strategy as a Bookmark

You may save a search strategy and run the search at desired intervals. By running the search periodically, you can maintain the most current literature on a topic.

  • Develop and run a search strategy for your topic.
  • Click on Details.
  • Click on URL. The search strategy displayed in the PubMed Query box will be embedded with the URL.
  • Use your browser’s bookmark function to save the URL as a bookmark.
  • Rename the bookmark to appropriately reflect the search topic.

Other PubMed Services


Cubby

The Cubby stores search strategies, LinkOut preferences and changes the default document delivery service. Registration (free) is required to use Cubby. For additional details about Cubby, click on Help.

For More Help

PubMed provides extensive documentation to assist users of the PubMed system. Click on Help or FAQ at any time for assistance. You may also click on the Tutorial link to take a self-guided tour of the PubMed database.

Updated 1/14/03 BB