Database Searching

Finding Needles in Haystacks

Robert Williams

April 6, 2011

williamr@marshall.edu

691-1760

Searching Medical Education Literature Formulate a search Strategy

Define Concepts as specifically as possible Group concepts logically Select database Consult Mesh Browser Thesaurus Select terms from Mesh that match original

Concepts

 

Conduct Search Login using Marshall U. specific codes Set up Personal Profile with MYNCBI Short cuts to use on entering terms Qualifying Terms Cross referencing terms and statements

using Boolean operators  

Evaluating search Results Tactics to use when retrieval seems too small Tools to limit retrieval and increase relevancy

Capturing, filtering, and sorting retrieval

 

Getting Full-text Journal Articles Pubmed connection to IDS Online and Print holdings in Mu Periodicals

List Obtaining Documents not held by MU

 

Library Services Monthly SDI Requesting for a one time search or strategy

advice Phone, email

Formulate a Search Strategy

Define Concepts as specifically as Possible Group Concepts logically Select Database Consult Mesh Browser Thesaurus

What is Mesh Select terms from Mesh that Match Original Concepts

Go to Menu PubMed Resource Guide

Conduct Search

Login using Marshall U. specific codes Set up Personal Profile with MYNCBI Short cuts to use on entering terms Qualifying Terms Cross referencing terms and statements using Boolean operators

Use & for AND, Use | for OR Use Advanced Search

Tips Go to Menu

Evaluating Search Results Tactics to use when retrieval seems too small

Check for typos Newly introduced Heading Too many Cross references used Forgot to turn off limits. Apply Limits at end of search

Tools to limit retrieval and increase relevancy

Capturing, filtering, sorting. Clipboard Displaying Results

Go to Menu

Getting Full-Text Articles Pubmed connection to IDS from “Send to” option Order

Online and Print holdings in Mu Periodicals List

Obtaining Documents not held by MU

Request InterLibrary Loan 1-2 day Turn around – Patient Care 2 hours IDS offers online request. Electronic delivery is often possible in PDF format. Denise Smith

wardd@marshall.edu

Go to Menu

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? Database Comparisons What is PubMed Go back to Formulate

Databases Database Comparison

ERIC Psych Info PubMed

Type Bib + Full-Text

Bib + Full-Text Bibliographic

Disciplines Education Psychology BioMedical

Coverage 1966- 1927- 1948-

Citations 1.2 Million 2.4 Million 20 Million

Journals 600 2,150 5500

Other Materials

All Pub Types

Books & Diss None

Database Comparison Part 2

ERIC Psych Info PubMed

Thesaurus ERIC TPIT Mesh

Access Web – MU MU Web

Web Links Publisher Sites

Publisher Sites

Save Searches

My Eric My EbscoHost

My NCBI

Login for Marshall Users http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?holding=wvmuhslib&tool=wvmuhslib Marshall Holdings Icons are attached to citations in the Abstract Format Users can sent citations directly to Library for Article delivery without typing

bibliographic info. Go to conduct a Search

MYNCBI http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/ Store saved search strategies Set filters Return

PubMed/Medline from NLM

(National Library of Medicine)

Introduction to Searching Robert Williams

What is PubMed?

Bibliographic with Abstracts and Links to Full Text Comprehensive - Covers all Bio-Medical and Clinical

topics Over 5,500 Journals Indexed 20 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

Go to Picking Database

What’s 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.

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

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

Go To Formulate a Search

Subject Searching PubMed

Use any term, Automatic Mapping Qualifiers

Limit by Fields [TI], [MH], [AB] in [ Brackets]

Subheadings CL EC ES HI LJ MA MT OG SN ST TD

Explosion is automatic unless you turn it off.

Go to Conducting Search

TOO Much

Qualifiers

Fields TI, MH, in [brackets]

Major Heading [majr] Subheadings /ed ed[sh] Limits

Language Years Human Review

Go to Conduct Search Go to Evaluating

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

Go to Conduct Search

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 Author’s Last name and one initial

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 or Last) Journal Title Title of Article

Send to Order E-Mail File Clipboard Go to Evaluating

Clipboard

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

Go to Evaluating

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

Tips

http://musom.marshall.edu/library/documents/tips.pdf Use Mesh if you find a term that matches your topic Most recent (@30 days) citations don’t have Mesh terms yet. Use multiple statements. Large complex statements usually

have typos It’s 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.

Go to Conduct Search

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?

holding=wvmuhslib Check MU Periodicals Request InterLibrary Loan

1-2 day Turn around – Patient Care 2 hours IDS offers online request.

http://206.212.0.150/default.asp Electronic delivery is often possible in PDF

format. Denise Smith

wardd@marshall.edu

PubMed Vs. Google

Pub Med Google

Biomedical Haystacks only All Haystacks

Terms assigned by Human Indexers Machine created

Controlled Vocabulary Cluster Analysis

Mostly Grain Mostly Chaff