An Introduction to PubMed and MeSH

A brief(ish) tutorial on using MeSH to search PubMed. Not a substitute for talking to a flesh-and-blood librarian.

Transcript

1. AN INTRODUCTION TO PUBMED AND MESH
2. IS A DATABASE OF MEDICAL LITERATURE DEVELOPED BY THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE. IT INDEXES OVER 5,500 JOURNALS AND COMPRISES OVER 21 MILLION JOURNAL ARTICLES AND BOOKS.
3. IS UPDATED ALMOST EVERY DAY
4. IS UPDATED ALMOST EVERY DAY INCLUDES ARTICLES FROM AS FAR BACK AS THE 1940S
5. IS UPDATED ALMOST EVERY DAY INCLUDES ARTICLES FROM AS FAR BACK AS THE 1940S COVERS TOPICS IN THE CLINICAL AND BASIC SCIENCES
6. MESH
7. MESH =
8. MESH = MEDICAL SUBJECT HEADINGS
9. MESH = MeSH terms represent concepts found in the medical literature. They are used to describe articles in PubMed.
10. MESH = COOL
11. MESH = COOL (Because it can help you find things in PubMed.)
12. FROM THE SEARCH BAR
13. USE THE DROPDOWN MENU
14. TO SELECT MeSH
15. veterinary medicine AND SEARCH FOR TERMS prions
17. let’s break this down
19. This is the scope note: it defines how the term is used by MeSH.
20. This is the scope note: it defines how the term is used by MeSH. Words in caps are other MeSH terms.
22. Using subheadings narrows the results to specific aspects of the concept. You can also choose to get only articles that have a major focus on the concept.
24. Entry terms are other words used for the same concept. Previous indexing shows older terms—you can use them to find older articles dealing with this concept.
25. The tree at the bottom shows how this term is related to other terms. They follow a hierarchical structure.
27. The search builder is, naturally, used to build searches using MeSH terms.
28. The search builder is, naturally, used to build searches using MeSH terms. Here’s how.
29. First, check off any subheadings or other restrictions you want to use. (If you don’t check any, it will just use the main term.)
30. ...Choose the operator you want… (“and” = narrow “or” = broaden “not” = exclude)
31. …and click “add to search builder.”
32. …and click “add to search builder.”
33. You can add multiple terms from multiple searches using the same steps. The search builder will keep track of what you add each time.
35. That’s all for now.
36. Slideshow created by Zach Sharrow Health Sciences Librarian Lincoln Memorial University zachary.sharrow@lmunet.edu Use your new powers wisely.