Database Guide - MEDLINE

MEDLINE is long established and world-renown, search it to find evidence that could change practice. Carry out comprehensive searches to find research to improve healthcare delivery and to avoid missing critical information on diseases, conditions – historical or current – that could impact on clinical decision making.

The database contains over 23 million bibliographic citations and author abstracts from more than 5,600 biomedical and life science journals published in the United States and in 70 other countries, dating back to 1946. Everything in MEDLINE is assigned keywords that describe its context, using prescribed Medical Subject Headings (or MESH).

At CCCU, we have access to MEDLINE on three platforms – OVID, Ebsco and Web of Science. This guide covers the OVID platform. Also available is PubMed, the free, public version of MEDLINE. Read our PubMed goes mobile blog post to find out more about MEDLINE and PubMed’s relationship.

• Go to LibrarySearch 
  
  
• Log in using your CCCU username and password. If you are away from campus, or connecting with your own device over Wi-Fi, you will need to include @canterbury.ac.uk after your CCCU username.
  
  
• Select Find Databases, then click on M, finally click on the link to MEDLINE (OVID) to open it in a new tab.

View the video produced by OVID to find out how to search MEDLINE efficiently and effectively. View Chapter 15 for advice on how to carry out an Advanced Search and Chapter 18 for an example of a Basic Search. (Once loaded, click on the paper icon to view the captions)

Try searching MEDLINE (OVID) by following the steps outlined below. You’ll practice using some of the most common functions and be ready to search for information for your assignments.

1. Using the Advanced Search, search for the phrase heart attack. Once taken to the mapping page, you will see a list of MESH terms which are the prescribed labels that MEDLINE uses to tag articles. Check the box next to the closest match, in this case Myocardial Infarction. (Hint: not sure what the blue term means/covers? Try the Scope icon on the right-hand side). Click Continue on this and the following page.
   
   
2. Clear the Advanced Search box and search for the keyword aspirin. Once again, choose the MESH term that best matches. Click Continue on this and the following page. (Note: sometimes you may want to search for your exact word rather than using MESH, simply choose the term at the very end of the list.)
   
   
3. Using the Search History function (located above the search box, in the top left-hand corner of the screen), combine your keywords by checking the box next to each item and using the AND operator. How many results do you find?
   
   
4. Using the left-hand panel, refine your results to those published between 2010-2020.
   
   
5. Find an interesting article from your result list and see if you can access the full-text of the the article.
   
   
6. Reflect on the type of information appearing in your search. How will you use this information in your assignments? How could you make your search more specific?

The PubMed version of MEDLINE is optimised for mobile devices.

Your Learning and Research Librarian will be able to help you make the best use of online resources. For detailed guidance, book a tutorial via the Learning Skills Hub.