A basic introduction to searching the Embase Database on the Ovid platform using the EmTree index, additional limits and filters.

1. Developed by Elsevier, Embase aims to provide the
widest possible coverage of biomedical literature
incorporating many conferences and journal titles not
covered by MEDLINE.
Ability to map to Emtree search index providing a
comprehensive vocabulary to describe biomedical data.
Use of Ovid interface to build up your search strategy
with inbuilt Boolean operators.
A range of ways to refine and limit search results based
on types of studies, cohort study groups and more.
University Library

2. Search OneSearch for the Embase Database
Remember: It is important to jump out to our databases through OneSearch; this
authenticates you as a UWA Student. Sign in for full access to our database resources
especially from home.
Click the view online tab and follow the “Embase” link out to the database.
Open record to find full-text link to Embase

3. Beginning your Search in
Embase
As you build your search concepts they appear in this area
above your search box.
To map your search terms to EmTree headings you need to
be in Advanced Search and have this tick box selected
Embase is another database delivered through the Ovid Platform

4. The “subject heading” link
shows us where this term sits in
a subject classification tree
We could choose to “Explode”
this term which would
automatically include all
“narrower terms”
These are the terms
that map to “FGM”
Tick to select all
relevant terms.
Choose whether to
combine with OR,
AND then click
“Continue”
The “Scope”
information tells
us more about
the uses for each
Embase term

5. Refining results Choosing the one subject heading will give you access to a number of
sub-headings you can choose from or omit.
If you select more than one subject heading you will not get this option.
As we can see there are not many subheadings applied to the 680 FGM items.
Once all relevant terms have been selected and combined they will appear
here in the “Search History” section of the Search page.
Search 3 achieved by
selecting
Search 1 & 2 and
combining with AND
Here is another potential way to search on all possible Embase subject terms and key word
searches (.mp) for this concept.
This will help identify all possible articles that mention or are indexed with these terms.

6. Using the “Additional Limits” to build your search
You can use the “Additional Limits
options to further refine your search to
specific levels of evidence or study types
or age groups .
The additional limits chosen here focuses
our core concept search on a humans, in
a specific age group and gender.
We must select “Display Results” to apply our limits to a specific search

7. Reviewing, managing results and following leads
Reference to actual study
found in this news report.
Results from applied
limits
Current
Search
Available
Limits

8. Reviewing and managing results
You can set up a user login for
yourself in Ovid that will allow
you to save items to folders and
your search queries.
Click on “My Workspace” and the
“My Searches and Alerts”
For search queries you have saved.
Set up folder
for saved
items in
“My Projects”