Database Tips: MEDLINE (EBSCO) tips

Stuck? Here are a few ideas to try. In MEDLINE w/ Full Text (EBSCO), make sure that you are on the Advanced Search Screen.

• Check Full-Text to see articles immediately.
• Enter dates in "Published Date From"
• Use options such as human, gender, and age to limit
• In the Journal & Citation Subset Box, you can choose "Nursing."

MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) are useful if you're not quite sure where to start your search or have a very broad topic. For example, using the MeSH "Myocardial Infarction" will search for articles with both "myocardial infarction" and "heart attack." 

You'll notice that following screenshots say CINAHL - not MeSH. The process for searching for MeSh and CINAHL Headings in EBSCO is identical. If you learn one, you've got the other down too! 

STEP 1: Choose "MeSH" on the top menu and enter your search term (tylenol.)

STEP 2: Select Your Terms and Subheadings. Hit the big green "Search Database" button.

Things to note:

• The search for "tylenol" redirected to the heading "Acetaminophen."
• You can narrow further by choosing a subheading. In this case: "Adverse Effects"
• If you don't understand a term, click the scope note (small yellow dialog boxes) to get a definition.
• What does "Explode" mean?
  • MeSH will search for the headings listed under Acetaminophen (Broadens search)
• What does "Major Concept" mean?
  • Checking that box, will restrict results to articles where subject heading is the main topic (Narrows Search)
• If you can add more terms using "Browse Addition Terms." *This feature appears at the very bottom of the search results of subject headings. It can be annoying to find, but it is there.*

STEP 3: View your Results

• Notice that the search has been translated to (MH "Acetaminophen/AE.") The /AE is the adverse effects subheading.
• View the article by selecting PDF or HTML Full-Text
• Don't forget about the left-hand menu to narrow your results
• It takes time to build searches. If you want to save your search, you can create a free account. 

STEP 4: View an Article

• To view an article in the search results, click the title to get more detailed results.
• On the left, look for full-text PDF and/or HTML options if they are available.
• Look for Source: to see the journal or book that your articles is from.   
  • If you click the title of the journal, you can see where the journal is published!
• Look for the Cite button to automatically generate a citation for your bibliography. Double check it for accuracy!
• Look at Major Subjects: for ideas for key words. Click on a subject heading to a run a new search with that term.

MEDLINE w/ Full Text Searching

For instant access:
When you search, check the full-text button  
or look for the articles with
PDF  and html full-text .

We subscribe to many different journals, but not everything! 

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