Skip to Main Content

PubMed and MeSH

Are you starting to search in PubMed? Do you want understand how to use MeSH terms? This guide will assist you by providing an overview of these topics.

Basic Search Tips

SearchDefining Key Terms:

Once you have narrowed down your research question, it is important to define the Key Terms. Databases search by tagged terms, and cannot understand full sentences. That is why it is important to define these terms in your research question.

Example Topic: How does the introduction of the Mediterranean Diet affect those who are at risk for coronary heart disease?

We are going to break this down into it's most essential components. We could also do this by looking at the PICO terms we defined, if you created your research question using PICO. 

Keywords: CVD, Coronary Heart Disease, Heart Disease, Mediterranean Diet

 

Brainstorming Synonyms:

Most words have synonyms that mean the same, or very similar, things. For each keyword in your topic, try to come up with at least one synonym. Not all keywords will have synonyms, but many do!

Example: 

Keyword: reduction     Synonym: lessen

Keep an Eye Out

Sometimes scholars use terms that you might not be familiar with, or which might mean something very specific within the discipline. While searching, look for unfamiliar terms or words that show up a lot. Try searching for those and see if you find more relevant sources.

Something to Try:

  • Follow a term with OR on OneSearch, it will suggest a term. We will go into more detail about this feature in the box below.

Evaluate

You can evaluate any source using the 5 W's:

  • Who: ...wrote it? Are they an expert?
  • What: ...is the purpose of this resource?
  • Where: ...was this information published? ...does the information come from?
  • When: ...was this published or last updated?
  • Why: ...is this resource useful? ...is this resource better than other ones?

Advanced Search Tips

Boolean Operator: AND

The term AND connects terms that are dissimilar. Using this term allows you to find the overlap between two different concepts. Using this term would narrows down your results.

AND would only find sources that mention both keywords.

coronary heart disease AND  Mediterranean diet

This search will bring back fewer results than searching either keyword on its own.   

Boolean Operator: OR

The term OR connects synonyms and other similar words together. This tells the database to retrieve results that contained either of the words, which would increase the number of results.

Use the OR operator to expand your search with additional keywords.

CVD OR coronary heart disease

This will find sources that include either word, so you'll see more results than by searching for just one keyword.

 

Use the “QUOTES” strategy to search for several words in a phrase.

"Mediterranean Diet"                                    

This will bring back results that only use that exact phrase.

 

Boolean Operator: NOT

You would use the term NOT to exclude a term from search results. However be careful when using this term, as you might accidentally exclude relevant articles that still might mention that word. 

Dementia NOT Alzheimer's