DUMC Library
Ovid MEDLINE:
Quick Reference Card
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/

Subject Search - Enter a single subject word or phrase in the search box and press Enter or the Search button. Mapping helps find relevant subject headings (called MeSH in MEDLINE). Whenever possible select a subject heading.

• Explode - will expand your search to include all the specific terms indented under the term you selected; (Generally RECOMMENDED, but be sure narrower terms are relevant before you explode)
• Focus - will reduce your search to subject headings that are the major topic of the article (NOT RECOMMENDED)

Subheadings - further refine a subject heading to a specific aspect. The DEFAULT is to use them all. Common examples are:

• adverse effects (ae)
• diagnosis (di)
• drug therapy (dt)
• therapeutic use (tu)

Textword Search - .tw. - Enter a specific word or phrase followed by ".tw." or ".mp."

• nebulizer.tw. - searches for exact word in title or abstract
• nebulizer.mp. - searches for exact word in title, abstract, chemical registry number, and subject heading (if exact match)
• computer$.tw. - retrieves "computer", "computers", "computerized", etc.
• frozen shoulder.tw. - retrieves exact phrase in title or abstract
• taping adj2 patella.tw. - retrieves "taping of the patella", "patella held by taping", etc.

Combine - (ex: 1 and 2)

• "AND" will include all the terms in the same reference
• "OR" will include either term in the reference

Author Search - .au. - Enter the author's last name followed by first and second initials (if known), then by ".au."

• corey gr.au. (retrieves all corey's with these exact initials)
• corey g$.au. (use truncation if unsure of middle initial)
• corey $.au. (use truncation if unsure of either initial)

Journal Search - Enter the exact words of the journal title, then click on the Journal icon.

Title Search - .ti. - Enter the specific word or words in the title followed by ".ti."

• body or temperature.ti. - either term appears in the title.
• body and temperature.ti. - both terms appear in the title.
• body temperature.ti. - exact phrase appears in the title

Limit Set - Select common limits (e.g., English) on Main Search Page. CINAHL allows limiting to Research (reports of studies). Click on More Limits to restrict search results to attributes such as Age Groups, Publication Types, or Journal Subsets. Note: Limiting to Full Text and Local Holdings is NOT recommended, as these miss many full-text articles available electronically.

EBM Filters/Clinical Queries (MEDLINE only) These search strategies are designed to retrieve high quality evidence from published studies.

• Conduct the search on your topic
• Click on More Limits
• Select appropriate filter from Clinical Queries dropdown menu
• Click on Limit a Search

Save or Run a Search History

• Save Search History - click the Save Search/Alert; specify temporary or permanent (Personal Account only); give it a Search Name; click on Save
• Run Saved Search - click the Saved Searches/Alerts; from the displayed list check the search, then click on Run

Full Text Journals

• Ovid Full Text - link to the Ovid full text article. Choose PDF or Print Preview to print full article with normal size graphics.
• opens a new window with options for full text and links for the Library Catalog, Interlibrary Loan, and Ask a Librarian.

HELP! - Call 919-660-1100 or send an email message to mclref@mc.duke.edu