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PubMed: Resource information

PubMed is a search engine accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The database is maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health.

Guide index

Library > Library guides > Databases > PubMed

On this page

  • Overview
  • Snapshot: PubMed v Ovid MEDLINE
  • Create a personal account
  • How to search PubMed
  • Saving and e-mailing results and searches
  • Access ANZCA full-text
  • Access full-text using LibKey Nomad
  • NSQHS standards: search the evidence
  • Support

Related guides

Ovid MEDLINE

Features

PubMed comprises over 26 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. PubMed citations and abstracts include the fields of biomedicine and health, covering portions of the life sciences, behavioural sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering. PubMed also provides access to additional relevant web sites and links to the other NCBI molecular biology resources.

PubMed is a free resource that is developed and maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), located at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The US National Library of Medicine's (NLM) MEDLINE database is available via multiple sources, with ANZCA providing access via the NCBI PubMed and Ovid platforms.

Use Ovid MEDLINE to:

  • Build a guided search based on MeSH headings, subheadings, filters and limits [Note: Using MeSH subheadings generally returns a higher number of relevant search results]
  • Build a line-by-line search strategy using BOOLEAN to create multiple search variations
  • Utilise Ovids' proprietary search algorithms for better matching of non-MeSH terms to their applicable MeSH counterparts
  • Access ANZCA full-text using LibKey Nomad

Use PubMed:

  • When you want quick keyword-based results with automatically-generated search strategies
  • When you are looking for extremely recent citations
  • When you also want to search NCBI's molecular biology resources
  • When you want to access ANZCA full-text using LibKey Nomad

For a full comparison of both services, see Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries comparison chart.

My NCBI saves searches, results, your bibliography, and features an option to automatically update and e-mail search results from your saved searches.

  1. Log into PubMed using the dedicated ANZCA link
  2. Click on the Sign in to My NCBI link, located at the top right corner
  3. In the Sign in to NCBI box, click on theRegister for an NCBI account link at the bottom
  4. Complete the registration form:
    • Username
    • Password
    • E-mail
  5. Click the Create accountbutton when complete

Searching PubMed

Advanced search

Other services

It is possible to save both a citation or search strategy in PubMed(for later export or re-use), and to utilise that search as part of a RSS feed.

Please Note: Many of these features require that the user have a personal account in PubMedso you can access My NCBI (see the dedicated info box in sidebar for further details).

For more videos like this, visit the NCBI channel on YouTube

Users who access PubMed using the dedicated ANZCA link, will be able to access ANZCA full-text by clicking on the CHECK ANZCA LIBRARY button located under theFULL TEXT LINKS heading in the top-right corner of the article citation:

Once selected - if the full-text is available - they will be linked direct to the full-text
(users may be required to authenticate using their ANZCA ID and password to access full-text)

Alternatively, the user may be taken to the ANZCA Library Search Articles service:

  • If available full-text: select View Full Text link (users will be required to authenticate using their ANZCA ID and password to access full-text)
  • If not available full-text: select Request article via Library link*, enter your personal details and click the Submit button

*Automatically populates request form with article details. Articles are usually supplied within 2-3 working days.

LibKey Nomad can be used to access ANZCA full-text via PubMed using Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Vivaldi and Safari.

Click here to learn more

Looking for evidence to support best practice in line with the Australian National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards?

Austin Health Library have created a number of searches in PubMed that reflect the NSQHS Standards 2nd edition and build on the searches developed, tested and endorsed as part of the HeLiNS (Health Libraries for the National Standards) Research Project, a joint initiative of Health Libraries Australia and Health Libraries Inc.

These PubMed searches will find articles from the last 5 years with a focus on the hospital setting. Searches include medication safety, comprehensive care, and communicating for safety.

Click here for more information and to access the searches.

Support

Access the full PubMed Help for additional support resources.

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