OvidSP Medline: Search Techniques & Strategies Educational Programming by Sladen Library Developed by Gina Hug, JoAnn Krzeminski and Nandita Mani January 2008

Accessing OvidSP Medline from the Sladen Library website Select Medline & More Databases from the Resources listed in the left toolbar

Select the Appropriate OvidSP Medline Link Select the appropriate link based on the range of years of OvidSP Medline you want to search.

OvidSP Medline Overview Various types of searches can be performed in Medline. You can search by keyword, author, article title, journal title, or do an Advanced Ovid Search which utilizes MeSH indexing.

Performing a Keyword Search To conduct a keyword search, in the Advanced Ovid Search tab simply type in the terms. Use AND if you want articles that discuss both terms together. Use OR if you are combining like terms. Make sure Map Term to Subject Heading is NOT selected. Keyword searches only search the article title or abstract for exact matches of the words entered into the search box.

Performing a Keyword Search: Search History The Search History box will show you: The terms searched The number of results in your search The Display link – click on it to begin viewing your results

More limits can be accessed by clicking Additional Limits Performing a Keyword Search: Applying Limits Limits can help narrow a search by such things as language, age group, publication type, or a specific range of years. The Additional Limits allow you to further refine your search. Here you will also find a limit for “Clinical Queries” which will restrict the search to clinically sound studies.

Performing an Author Search You can search for an author by first clicking the Author button on the main search page and then entering in the author’s last name. For this example, enter Kaatz S.

Performing an Author Search OvidSP Medline will give you a list of names and initials. Select the most appropriate name then click on Search For Selected Terms

Performing a Journal Title Search You can search for a specific journal title by clicking the Journal button and then entering in the title For this example, enter Annals of Pharmacotherapy

Performing a Journal Title Search OvidSP Medline will give you a list of journal titles Select the most appropriate title then click on Search For Selected Terms

Combining Searches Combine two or more searches by first checking the box in front of each desired search string. Then choose to Combine Selections with either And or Or.

Searching with MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) MeSH is a thesaurus produced by the National Library of Medicine It is used for indexing biomedical and health-related information MeSH is used to index articles in both the Medline and PubMed databases

Searching with MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) MeSH makes it easy to get specific results in your search. Every article is assigned a set of MeSH terms that describe the content of the article. MeSH Subject Headings of an article can be seen in the Complete Reference view of a citation

Searching with MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) To search using MeSH, in the Advanced Ovid Search tab enter the following term: deep vein thrombosis Make sure Map Term to Subject Heading is selected

Explode and Focus Deep vein thrombosis is mapped to the MeSH term “Venous Thrombosis” Explode and/or Focus depending on your needs Refer to the Scope Note for a definition of the MeSH term Explode will search the selected term and all of its related terms. Click on the term to view the related terms. Focus will limit the search to articles in which the selected term is considered the major topic of the article. Scope provides a definition of the term.

Subheadings You can choose one or more Subheadings to further refine your search, but their use is optional. For this example, select Prevention & Control

Working with Search Results: Library Holdings The Local Message will tell you if the library owns the article or not

Working with Search Results: Full Text Options The Find Sladen button will appear on all citations in OvidSP Click on the button to see details of the library’s holdings

Working with Search Results: Find Sladen Menu Online holdings, click GO for full text Print holdings shelved in library Article request forms Contact library & FAQs

Working with Search Results: Abstract, Complete Reference An article’s abstract can be viewed in three different places The Complete Reference lists both the abstract and indexing terms 1 2 3

Working with Search Results: Find Similar / Find Citing Articles Locates related articles Locates articles which cite this article

Find Citation Feature In the Find Citation tab, enter known information Enter Author Surname, Kaatz S Enter Journal Name, Annals of Pharmacotherapy

Search Tools Feature In the Search Tools tab Enter term: warfarin Select tool: Tree

Search Fields Feature In the Search Fields tab Enter: Henry Ford Health System Select field: Institution Click Search button *Be sure to take check mark out of All Fields box if you only want to search in specific fields

Results Manager The Results Manager is located on the left side of each page. It provides a variety of options for managing the results of your search. Output options include: Print Save Order Export to Endnote

Personal Accounts A Personal Account allows you to save a search and re-run it at a later date Searches can be saved as Temporary (for 24 hours), Permanent, as an Auto Alert (SDI), or a RSS feed Another option for saving a search is to set up a Personal Account Setting up a Personal Account is easy. Start by clicking on the Personal Account link found on the Main Search Page.

Personal Accounts First time users will want to choose Create a new Personal Account Set up with the account with your personal information.

Personal Accounts: Saving Searches To save a search to your Personal Account, click on the Save Search History button located below your search strategy in the Search History box.

Personal Accounts: Saving Searches Provide a name for your search Then select the Type of search, or how long you would like to save it. Options include Temporary (24 hours), Permanent, or as an AutoAlert (SDI)

AutoAlert Feature AutoAlerts track OvidSP Medline for the most current information that matches your saved search strategy. You are sent an on a regular basis notifying you if new articles have been found. To set up an AutoAlert, first click on the Save Search History button located below your search strategy in the Search History box.

AutoAlert Feature Name your search Choose AutoAlert(SDI) from the drop-down Type menu Set your AutoAlert preferences such as how often you would like to receive the alert, what address the AutoAlert should be sent to, as well as other formatting options. Click Save. You will begin receiving the AutoAlert on the day you scheduled it.

Personal Accounts: RSS Feeds If you use an RSS Feed Reader, you can also choose to have your search updates sent directly to your RSS Reader. To do so, first click on the orange RSS button located in the Search History box.

Personal Accounts: RSS Feeds Then click the link to access the RSS feed URL supplied by Ovid. Copy and paste the entire URL into your RSS Feed Reader

Questions? Contact: Sladen Library Reference Desk