This document provides an overview of how to search the PubMed database. It discusses browsing MeSH subject headings, building search strategies using Boolean logic and MeSH terms, applying limits to search results, and accessing full text articles. Features like MyNCBI accounts, saved searches, and email updates are also covered to help users optimize their PubMed searching.

1. Texas Tech University
Health Sciences Center Library
presents
Searching PubMed®
Rev. 12/8/11

2. To begin...

3. Mouse-over Databases

4. Click PubMed

5. PubMed Home Page

6. Searching PubMed

7. Click MeSH Database

8. MeSH Database
Terms in the database are called
Medical Subject Headings or MeSH.
is a “controlled vocabulary list” of more than
25,000 subject headings.
10-15 MeSH are assigned to each article
in PubMed.
The MeSH index of 10-15 subject headings
is like a keyword abstract of the article.
MeSH are updated annually in December.

9. Frequently Used Mesh Categories – 2011
A Anatomy C Diseases D Chemicals & Drugs
A1 Body Regions C1 Bacterial Infections & Mycoses D1 Inorganic Chemicals
A2 Musculoskeletal System C2 Virus Diseases D2 Organic Chemicals
A3 Digestive System C3 Parasitic Diseases D3 Heterocyclic Compounds
A4 Respiratory System C4 Neoplasms D4 Polycyclic Compounds
A5 Urogenital System C5 Musculoskeletal Diseases D5 Macromolecular Substances
A6 Endocrine System C6 Digestive System Diseases D6 Hormones, Hormone Substitutes,
A7 Cardiovascular System C7 Stomatognathic Diseases & Hormone Antagonists
A8 Nervous System C8 Respiratory Tract Diseases D8 Enzymes, & Coenzymes
A9 Sense Organs C9 Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases D9 Carbohydrates
A10 Tissues C10 Nervous System Diseases D10 Lipids
A11 Cells C11 Eye Diseases D12 Amino Acids, Peptides,
A12 Fluids and Secretions C12 Male Urogenital Diseases & Proteins
A13 Animal Structures C13 Female Urogenital Diseases D13 Nucleic Acids, Nucleotides,
A14 Stomatognathic System & Pregnancy Complications & Nucleosides
A15 Hemic and Immune Systems C14 Cardiovascular Diseases D20 Complex Mixtures
A16 Embryonic Structures C15 Hemic & Lymphatic Diseases D23 Biologic Factors
A17 Integumentary System C16 Congenital, Hereditary, & D25 Biomedical and Dental Materials
A18 Plant Structures Neonatal Diseases & Abnormalities D26 Pharmaceutical Preparations
A19 Fungal Structures C17 Skin & Connective Tissue Diseases D27 Chemical Actions and Uses
A20 Bacterial Structures C18 Nutritional & Metabolic Diseases
A21 Viral Structures C19 Endocrine System Diseases
C20 Immune System Diseases
C21 Disorders of Environmental Origin
C22 Animal Diseases
B Organisms C23 Pathologic Conditions,
Signs, and Symptoms
B1 Eukaryota C24 Occupational Diseases
B2 Archaea C25 Substance-Related Disorders
B3 Bacteria C26 Wounds and Injuries
B4 Viruses
B5 Organism Forms

10. Other Categories Include :
Analytical, Diagnostic, & Therapeutic Techniques & Equipment
Psychiatry and Psychology
Biological Sciences
Natural Sciences
Anthropology, Education, Sociology & Social Phenomena
Technology, Industry, Agriculture
Information Science
Named Groups
Health Care
Publication Characteristics
Geographic Locations

11. Create a Search Strategy Plan
Identify the question and key concepts:
alanine or threonine in the
genetics of neoplasms
Write the search program using
medical subject headings (MeSH)

12. alanine Search
Enter and click a
a
(Note: If there is a Boolean OR
relationship, start with the
“OR” statement first.)

13. Term Definitions

14. 1) Check the box next
to the MeSH heading a
✔
2) Then click Add to search builder

15. The first MeSH term is in
the search program “box”

16. threonine Search
Enter and click a
a
(Note: If there is a Boolean OR
relationship, start with the
“OR” statement first.)

17. 1) Check the box next 2) Select OR
to the MeSH heading a
✔
3) Then click Add to search builder

18. The second MeSH term is in
the search program “box”

19. Boolean Logic - OR
alanine OR threonine

20. a
a
Enter neoplasms and click Search

21. Click the underlined term

22. Scroll screen down to view…

23. MeSH terms arranged in
tree structure hierarchy
Terms are listed from
broadest to narrowest.
If Abdominal Neoplasms
yields zero results, try using a
broader term: Neoplasms by Site.

24. Scroll screen
back up

25. Sub-headings narrow the “meaning” of a
MeSH term. They are a “subset” of all the
M
articles under the MeSH term: Neoplasms.

26. 83
SUBHEADINGS:
abnormalities
embryology
enzymology
physiology
physiopathology
administrations & dosage epidemiology poisoning
adverse effects ethics prevention & control
agonists ethnology psychology
analogs & derivatives etiology radiation effects
analysis radiography
anatomy & histology genetics radionuclide imaging
antagonists & inhibitors radiotherapy
biosynthesis growth & development rehabilitation
blood history secondary
blood supply immunology secretion
cerebrospinal fluid injuries standards
chemical synthesis innervation statistics & numerical data
chemically induced instrumentation supply & distribution
chemistry isolation & purification surgery
classification legislation & jurisprudence therapeutic use
complications manpower therapy
congenital metabolism toxicity
contraindications methods transmission
cytology microbiology transplantation
deficiency mortality trends
diagnosis nursing ultrasonography
diagnostic use organization & administration ultrastructure
diet therapy parasitology urine
drug effects pathogenicity utilization
drug therapy pathology veterinary
economics pharmacokinetics virology
education pharmacology

27. 2) Select AND
✔
1) Check the box next
to the subheading a
3) Then click Add to search builder

28. Boolean Logic - AND
alanine
OR and neoplasms/
genetics
threonine

29. The search program is complete.
Click Search PubMed

30. Search Results

31. PubMed identifies
231 articles

32. Click Limits

33. Limits include:a
A
Language
Human or Animal
Publication Date
Gender
Type of Article
Subsets
Ages

34. Limit to articles that are
human studies and
written in English.
✔
✔
Click Search

35. Results are reduced
From 231 to 207

36. AA
Scroll to article #19

37. AA
Scroll back up
X
Select X article(s).

38. Click Display Settings

39. Select Abstract, change to Pub Date to
sort to most recent articles appearing first,
then click Apply

40. Click + for MeSH terms.

41. MeSH Database
searches only
the MeSH terms for:
alanine
OR
threonine
AND
neoplasms/genetics

42. Look at subject headings
in the
MeSH Terms Index
for additional terms.
You may want to
write a new search
program using:
Polymorphism, Genetic*

43. Links from this record
to NCBI databases.
Click Gene.

44. Entrez Gene record
Click the back button.

45. Click Send to: and select
File to save citations to a file on your computer or
.
Clipboard to temporarily store selected citations or
E-mail to send citations to self or colleague

46. …or click icon for full text.

47. Linking to
Full-Text Articles
in Electronic Journals

48. TTUHSC Libraries - Proxy Server
When Searching from Off Campus:
Enter the
Eraider username and
password
assigned to you
by Information Services.
A
Problems with eRaider call:
Amarillo: (806) 354-5404 El Paso: (915) 545-6800
Odessa: (432) 335-5108 Lubbock: (806) 743-1234

49. Click PDF

50. Full Text Article
Close Article

51. Other Searching Features a
a
1) MeSH, phrase, & title word searching
2) Truncation

52. Enter
human genome
and click aSearch
a

53. 1) Check the box next
2) Select AND
to the MeSH heading
✔
3) Then click Add to search builder

54. Enter “dark matter” and click Search

55. PubMed identifies
6 articles

56. Enter “dark matter” [ti] and click Search

57. Results are narrowed to 4

58. Truncation

59. Enter gene* to truncate.

60. PubMed locates:
gene
generation
generated
genetic

61. My NCBI

62. About a My NCBI Account
A My NCBI account will allow you to:
* Save search strategies
* Receive automatic search updates via email
* Create “search filters”
NOTE: you will NOT receive any spam as a result of
this account.
This account is for databases from the
National Library of Medicine including PubMed.

63. Click My NCBI

64. Follow instructions to fill out form
Click Register

65. Do provide an email so you
can receive automatic
search updates
Click Register

66. Verifying Your
My NCBI Account

67. Verifying Your
My NCBI Account
1) Open your email.
2) There will be message from NCBI.
3) Copy and paste the verification URL into
the web address bar and return.
4) Your account will be verified by the
National Library of Medicine.

68. A
Visit this web site to verify
you’re My NCBI account.

69. Search Filters

70. Click Manage Filters.

71. Select filters – no limit. These selections override the
default filters of Review and Free Full Text. These filters apply
to searches run while signed into you’re My NCBI account.

72. Example of results with
customized filters

73. Save Search

74. Click Save search

75. Click Save to receive automatic
email updates of newly
published articles on this topic.

76. Set up an e-mail address
if you have not done so.
Select when and how often
you wish to receive updates,
report format,
and number of results.
Click Save

77. Click PubMed

78. Click Remove

79. Online Tutorial

80. Click Training & Tutorials for hands-on learning.

81. Please contact us at:
Lubbock
(806) 743-2200
Amarillo
(806) 354-5448
El Paso
(915) 545-6652
Odessa
(432) 335-5171

82. The End