Database Searching Finding Needles in Haystacks

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Database SearchingFinding Needles in
Haystacks

• Robert Williams
• Nov 30, 2007
• Updated Dec 1,2009
• williamr_at_marshall.edu
• 691-1760

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Picking the Right Database

• What type of documents or resources are indexed?
• Disciplines Education, Psych, Medical
• Journal List
• Format types Journal Articles, Reports,
  Conferences, books, Dissertations.
• Scope International? Which Languages?
• Current or retrospective?

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Databases Database Comparison
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Database Comparison Part 2
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PubMed/Medline from NLM (National Library of
Medicine)

• Introduction to Searching
• Robert Williams

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What is PubMed?

• Bibliographic with Abstracts and Links to Full
  Text
• Comprehensive - Covers all Bio-Medical and
  Clinical topics
• 5,608 Journals Indexed
• 19 Million Citations
• International Indexes journals in 37 Languages
• Very Current Updated Daily Tuesdays through
  Saturdays
• Goes way back 1948 to Present
• Open to All Free from NLM

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Whats the difference between PubMed and Medline?

• Medline is a database which is searched by using
  many different public and commercial search
  engines.
• PubMed contains all of Medline, plus recently
  added entries that are in process to add MESH
  descriptors.
• Also contains non-biomedical citations from
  General Science Journals, Consumer Health
  Articles
• PubMed is both a database and a Web-based search
  engine.

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National Library of MedicineBiomedical Indexing
Timeline

• 1879 - 1st volume of Index Medicus Published
• 1964 - Medlars Automated database used to produce
  Index Medicus
• 1966 - Batch searching by specially trained
  Librarians
• 1971 - Medlars Online or Medline accessible
• 1986 - Grateful Med searched by Health care
  Professionals
• 1997 - PubMed on the Web
• 1998 MedlinePlus offers consumer info
• 2000 - Clinical Trials made Web searchable

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What is MESH (Medical Subject Headings)?

• A thesaurus that facilitates precise retrieval of
  relevant citations from the Medline and PubMed
  Databases
• http//www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html
• Automatic truncation (Fragments)
• Trained specialists apply unlimited headings to
  citations. Headings can be weighted according
  relevancy.
• Trees, Scope Notes, Valid Sub Headings

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PubMed Vs. Google
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Subject Searching PubMed

• Use any term, Automatic Mapping
• Qualifiers
• Limit by Fields TI, MH, AB in brackets
• Subheadings /th /ci /ae /ep /sn /px /mo /bs
• Explosion is automatic unless you turn it off.

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TOO Much

• Qualifiers
• Fields TI, MH, in brackets
• Major Heading mj
• Subheadings
• Limits
• Language
• Years
• Human
• Review

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Advanced Search - History

• Go Here if you are lost
• Use to refer to statement numbers
• Combine statements using AND OR NOT Operators
• Use for AND for OR
• Display Statement Results
• Preview runs faster than Search

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Verification Searching

• Starting with a Known citation
• Assume Errors
• Use Single Citation Search
• Any field can be searched
• Vol., Issue Number, Pages
• Important title words with Author
• Use Authors Last name and one initial

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Displaying Results

• Number of Citations per page (20 default, 200
  Max)
• Format
• Summary (Regular and Text)
• Abstract (Regular and Text)
• Medline
• XML
• PMID List
• Sort
• Pub Date or Most Recent Added
• Author (First of Last)
• Journal Title
• Title of Article
• Send to
• Collections
• E-Mail
• File
• Clipboard

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Clipboard

• Store citations up to 8 hours
• Deletes duplicates
• Use 0 to run clipboard contents against other
  statements

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My NCBI

• Can save search strategies to run at any time or
  schedule automatic execution.
• Must be a single statement
• Details is an easy way to update a saved search.
• Collections providesstorage of Citations

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Tips

• http//musom.marshall.edu/library/documents/tips.p
  df
• Use Mesh if you find a term that matches your
  topic
• Most recent (_at_30 days) citations dont have Mesh
  terms yet.
• Use multiple statements. Large complex
  statements usually have typos
• Its easy to apply limits at the end of a search,
  but difficult to adjust a search when limits are
  on top.
• Use NOT operator with care
• Bracketed citation titles indicate articles are
  written in a foreign language.

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Obtaining Documents

• Check link provided by PubMed.
• Access may not always be granted
• Log In using URL from HSL Home Page
• http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/advanced?holdin
  gwvmuhslib
• Check MU Periodicals
• Request InterLibrary Loan
• 1-2 day Turn around Patient Care 2 hours
• IDS offers online request. http//206.212.0.150/de
  fault.asp
• Electronic delivery is often possible in PDF
  format.
• Denise Smith
• wardd_at_marshall.edu