A roadmap for searching literature in PubMed: Introduction

In this LibGuide you will to learn how to build and conduct a systematic search in PubMed. The following steps will be covered:

• Research question: formulate your research question and divide it into elements
• Logbook: develop and document your search strategy
• Collecting MeSH terms: find controlled search terms in PubMed
• Collecting free-text terms: collect terms and search in the title and abstract [tiab] of the record
• Truncation and Phrase searching: learn to use two search techniques 
• Combining: use Boolean operators 
• Filters: apply clinical queries and other search filters to refine your results
• Evaluating: evaluate your search results and modify your search strategy if necessary
• References: manage references and insert citations into a document
• Other resources: use other relevant literature databases to find more references

PubMed is a database that comprises more than 35 million records of biomedical literature. It is often the first resource used in a literature search. It takes a certain amount of skill to filter the most relevant information (best evidence) for your research question from the tremendous quantity of records. Study the information in this LibGuide carefully. Use the Logbook Template for your first searches to make sure you follow the right steps. 

PubMed is a free bibliographic database. If you have searched PubMed and located a citation of interest, check for full-text icons in the upper right corner of the display above the references. Some full-text articles may be free, but most items require a subscription.

When you use the special UB VU link to PubMed you will find a VU link button.   Click on this button to see if the article is available.

Tip: install the Lean Library browser extension on your computer, which allows you to use automatic digital content from the University Library and Open Access content to track your literature.

Read in How to get the PDF? how to find alternative versions of the publisher version of a journal article.

• PubMed user guide
• PubMed Youtube Tutorials