Medline: The Basics

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Medline The Basics

• The OhioLINK Interface

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Medline

• Medline is a database that indexes articles from
  3,900 journals in medicine, health science and
  biomedical research
• It is a primary research tool for identifying
  articles in these subject areas.

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Database Searching

• No database search will retrieve all the relevant
  resources on a topic while eliminate everything
  that is irrelevant
• The effectiveness of a search is dependent on the
  search terms selected and the manner in which the
  search strategy is designed

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Search Design

• The goal in designing a search strategy is to
  retrieve a significant number of relevant records
  and a minimum of irrelevant records
• It is important to take time to select
  appropriate search vocabulary and to design an
  effective search strategy

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Searching Medline

• There are three basic ways to search the Medline
  database
• Keyword searching
• Subject searching
• A combination of subject and keyword searching

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Keyword searching

• Retrieves all database records containing the
  search term or terms entered
• Is quick and easy
• Is very broad
• May retrieve results that contain the desired
  terms but provide little or no relevant
  information on the topic

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Keyword Searching

• Keyword searching is particularly helpful when
• trying to find information on very new topics
• trying to find information on obscure topics

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Keyword Searching

• Things to consider
• Use appropriately professional terms
• Avoid acronyms
• Dont use too many search terms---the more terms
  you use the fewer results you will retrieve

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Keyword searching

• To do a keyword search
• Identify the keywords to be used
• Identify the Boolean operator(s) needed to link
  multiple terms
• ANDeach term must be present
• ORany of the terms may be present
• NOTterm will be eliminated
• Nest terms as needed using parentheses

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Keyword Searching Identifying Keywords

• Start with your search question or statement
• Is aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen more
  effective in treating back pain?
• Identify the keywords
• Is aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen more
  effective in treating back pain?

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Keyword Searching Construct a Search Strategy

• Construct the search strategy using appropriate
  Boolean Operators and nesting
• (aspirin OR acetaminophen OR ibuprofen) AND back
  pain

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Entering the Search

• Once you have designed your search strategy,
  access Medline.
• If accessing Medline from off campus, be sure to
  either Get Authenticated or log onto the KCMA
  Proxy Server

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3 Medline Databases

• OhioLINK provides access to three Medline
  databases
• Medline (Current) covers the current 5 years
• Medline covers 1950 to the present
• Medline 1950-1965 (Historical) covers only
  1950-1965
• Select the Medline database most appropriate to
  your information needs

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Medline Search Screen
All Medline databases have the same search screen
and search options. This will demonstrate
searching Medline (Current)
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Keyword Searching
Medline defaults to a subject search mode,
indicated by the checked box in the upper left of
the search area
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Keyword Searching
To do keyword searching, click in the box to
remove the checkmark.
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Keyword Searching
Enter your keyword or words in the search box.
If you are using multiple terms be sure to use
appropriate Boolean operators as well as nesting,
if needed, then click Submit Search.
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Search Results
The search results will display. This search has
retrieved 88 citations.
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Limiting the Search

• Medline offers options to limit your search
  results, including
• Language
• Publication date
• Type of Journal
• Gender
• Age Groups

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Limiting the Search
Some limit options are accessible on the main
search screen. To access all limit options,
click All Limit Options.
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Limiting the Search
The menu of limit options will display. Select
any limit options that are appropriate for your
search.
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Limiting the Search
This search has been limited to Language English
and Human
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Limiting the Searching
Once you have set any limits you want to apply to
your search, click Limit Results Now.
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Limited Search Results
The limited results will display. Note there
are now 78 citations for this search.
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Subject Searching

• Allows for more focused searching.
• Retrieves all articles to which the selected
  subject heading has been assigned
• Usually retrieves a smaller number of results
  than word searching

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Subject Headings

• Subject headings are assigned to each article
  based on article content
• Subject headings provide a consistent vocabulary
  to search for information
• Subject headings are weighted
• Major heading primary focus of the article
• Minor heading secondary concept in the article

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Subject Searching

• Subject Search options
• Search this option retrieves all citations to
  which the subject heading has been assigned, both
  major and minor
• Focus this option only retrieves citations for
  articles where the subject heading is a major
  heading

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Subject Searching

• To do a subject search you must first identify
  subject headings that are used in the database
• Start by accessing the Medline database that
  covers the years you want to search
• If you are accessing Medline from off campus, be
  sure to either Get Authenticated or log onto the
  Proxy Server.

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Subject Searching
The default search screen is used for subject
searching.
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Subject Searching

• Before you can start searching, you must have a
  research question or topic
• Are anticoagulants effective in preventing deep
  vein thrombosis in patients having orthopedic
  surgery?
• Identify the key concepts in the research
  question
• Are anticoagulants effective in preventing deep
  vein thrombosis in patients having orthopedic
  surgery?

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Subject Searching
Select one of the terms in your search strategy
and type it in the search box. Here the term
anticoagulants has been entered. Once the search
term is entered, click Submit Search
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Subject Searching
A list of subject headings will display. Click
View Thesaurus to see more information about this
term.
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Subject Searching
This page gives a definition of the term as it is
used in the database. It also places the term in
a hierarchy, showing broader and narrower terms
related to that term, if there are any and also
related terms. For anticoagulants there is a
broader term, Hematologic Agents, but no narrower
terms.
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Subject Headings

• Subject headings are presented in a hierarchy,
  showing broader and narrower concepts
• Viewing terms in the hierarchy can allow you to
  see how terms are interrelated
• Viewing the hierarchy can assist you in
  broadening or narrowing your search

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Subject Searching

• Once you have selected an appropriate subject
  heading, there are several options
• Searchretrieve any citations to which the
  subject heading has been assigned
• Focusretrieve only citations where the subject
  is a major topic of the article
• Expandretrieve not only citations for articles
  with this subject heading, but also citations for
  any narrower headings associated with the subject
  heading
• Expand/Focusretrieve citations where this
  subject heading or any narrower subject heading
  is a major topic of the article

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Expand a Subject Heading

• The Expand option allows you to retrieve not only
  records to which the selected subject heading has
  been assigned, but also records hierarchically
  indented under that subject heading.
• Anticoagulants has no narrower headings under it,
  so it cannot be expanded.

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Subject Searching
Click the option you want to use. Since this
terms is going to be used with other terms, the
Search option is selected.
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Subject Searching
Once a search option is selected, a menu of
subheadings will display. Subheadings provide
options to further focus your search. You may
mark multiple subheadings by clicking the box
next to each subheading desired or you may opt
not to select any. Once youve made your
choice(s), click Continue.
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Subject Searching
For this search, no subheadings were
selected. This search has retrieved 12726
citations.
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Subject Searching
You will need to repeat the same process for each
of the search terms in your research
question. Enter a second term in the search
box. Make sure Search in the Thesaurus is
selected.
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Subject Searching
When you have completed each of the individual
searches, click Search History.
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Subject Searching
A menu of each of the searches you have done will
display.
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Subject Searching
This screen allows you to select the searches you
want to combine. Click the box next to each
search to be combined. Note that all three of
these searches have been selected.
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Subject Searching
You must also select a Boolean Operator to
combine the searches. AND retrieves only
citations containing all of the selected
concepts OR retrieves citations containing any of
the search concepts.
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Subject Searching
For this search the Boolean operator AND has been
selected because all of the search concepts must
be present.
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Subject Searching
Once the search sets and the appropriate Boolean
operator are selected, click Combine Sets.
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Subject Searching
The results of the combined search will
display. To apply additional limits to the
search, click All Limit Options.
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Subject Searching
The menu of limit options will display. Select
any limits you want for your search, then scroll
done and click Limit Results Now.
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Subject Searching
This search was limited to English.
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Combining Subject and Keyword Searching

• It is also possible to do a combination of
  subject and keyword searching
• This is particularly helpful if you want to
  include concepts that do not have a specific
  subject heading or if you want to broaden your
  search because combined subject searching has
  returned very few or no results.

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Combined Subject and Keyword Searching

• Start by deciding which term or terms you will
  search by subject headings and which you will
  search by keywords.
• We will repeat the search on effective
  medications for back pain, using an appropriate
  subject heading for back pain.

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Combined Subject and Keyword Searching
We will first search for the appropriate subject
heading for back pain.
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Combining Subject and Keyword Searching
The search retrieve several subject headings
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Combining Subject and Keyword Searching
It is possible to select multiple subject
headings. Here two have been selected.
If you select multiple headings you must also
indicate how you want to combine them. Since
either heading may be present, the operator OR
has been selected.
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Combining Subject and Keyword Searching
When you combine multiple subject headings, you
cannot focus or expand them. Mark the headings
you want and click Combine Terms. If you want
to focus or expand, you will need to do separate
searches for each term.
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Combining Subject and Keyword Searching
The combined subject search results will display
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Combined Subject and Keyword Searching
In the search box, enter your keywords using
appropriate Boolean operators and nesting, if
necessary. Click the button next to Search in
current results, then click Submit Search.
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Combining Subject and Keyword Searching
The search results will display. Note this search
only retrieved 51 citations compared to the 88 in
the keyword search.
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Finding Articles

• Once you have retrieved a list of relevant
  citations, you will want to obtain articles of
  interest.
• Every citation will have a Find It link
• The Find It link provides information about the
  availability of the article

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Find It Link
To view information about the availability of an
article, click the Find It link.
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Find It Link
A second window providing information about the
availability of the article will display.
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Find It Link

• This screen provides
• A link to the full-text of the article, if it is
  available
• Availability of the journal in Wright State
  affiliated libraries
• A link to view journal holdings in other OhioLINK
  libraries.

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Find It Link

• If Find It provides a link to the full-text,
  follow the link to the article
• If Find It does not provide a link to the
  full-text, check to see if the KCMA Library or
  the KMC Medical library has the journal and you
  can copy the article
• If it is not available at either of those
  libraries, but it is available at another
  OhioLINK library, you may
• Go to the library and make a copy of the article
• Ask the Reference Librarian to obtain a copy of
  the article through InterLibrary Loan

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Questions?

• Contact the Reference Librarian
• Kathy Salgado
• Email kathy.salgado_at_kcma.edu
• Phone [phone] x6