How to search OVID Medline

1. Searching the Literature:
Medline

2. Tools for searching the scholarly literature
• A database is a specialised research tool that
identify useful journal articles
• There are a range of allied health databases:
– Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library,
AMED, SportDiscus, PedRO, PsycInfo and
more …
– Access from Databases tab on Library home
page: latrobe.edu.au/library

3. Medline Search Screen

4. Searching in Medline
• You can search by keyword (broader), subject
term (more precise) or both

5. Scope note

6. After checking the Scope Note
• Return to subject heading list (click ‘previous page’ or
use back arrow):
– Include all Subheadings, Explode and Continue

7. Expand the Search History to
display search results

8. Add a keyword search
• Add * to truncate a word
• Add quotes to search by phrase (2 or more
words)
• Un-tick the box ‘Map Term to Subject Heading’
• Use alternate terms

9. Combine with OR
• Remember: OR means more!
• Same search term, just searching in two
different ways: keyword (broader search) and
subject term (more precise search)

10. Add another concept to the search
• Expand the search history
• Tick the boxes for searches 3 and 6
• Combine with And = 1078 results

11. Combine searches
• Limit by date, language and more …

12. Additional limits available

13. Search result: highest level of
evidence

14. Results display

15. Full citation record

16. Saving and retrieving searches
1. Create an account
2. Save Search history
3. Retrieve saved search: login to My Account >
My Workspace > My Searches and Alerts

17. Search Results – Finding the full text
• Select the Full Text Finder to link to your
article:
• If not available, search for the journal title from
Journals tab on the Library homepage
• If the journal is not held, request the article from
Document Delivery Services
latrobe.edu.au/document-delivery/