Ovid

This page is intended to provide step-by-step guidance to creating a search in Ovid. Check out our Guide to the Basics. This goes over Boolean operators and how to use them. 

Some things to remember before you start:

• There are three basic Boolean operators: AND, OR, and NOT
  • AND combines search terms so that each search result contains all of the terms.
  • OR combines search terms so that each search result contains at least one of the terms.
  • NOT excludes terms so that each search result does not contain any of the terms that follow it.
• Break your question down into key concepts, then put those concepts inside parentheses.
• Quotation marks allow for words to be searched on together
  • Instead of searching for mental health, use "mental health"
• Asterisks allow for truncation and will catch all endings of a word
  • Instead of searching for (child OR children OR childhood), use (child*)

Ovid Search

There are multiple ways to search within Ovid. The example below will explore searching using "Advanced Search"

Analyze your research question and identify what your main key concepts are. Remember to add as many similar terms or synonyms with an "OR" to each concept to help broaden your search results. This example will search on individual key concepts then combine searches to get the the final search.

Example: Does caffeine have an effect on children?

Step-by-Step:

1. Start with your first concept. Identify all keyword(s) or phrase(s).

2. You will search on all your concepts individually.

If you don't identify any field codes, Ovid will default to searching .mp. This will search for references where your words appear in several specific fields, including the title, abstract, subject heading, author keywords, and more. This will be a much broader search. You can also try limiting the search to tile and abstract only by using .ab,ti.

Please see **Searching Tips for more information on the different field code options. 

3. This is where you will want identify what operator you want to combine with AND or OR

Remember:

• Use AND to find results that contain all of the specified search terms. 
• Use OR to find results that contain at least one of the specified search terms, including synonyms or variations of a concept. 

4. Once you select your chosen operator, you can search on your combined searches. You can also combine searches by simply typing the combined search in the search box 1 AND 2. 

The Ovid MEDLINE Search Screen

The search box below is the starting point for all Ovid MEDLINE database searches. If you are searching MEDLINE only (not Ovid Journals), you will have the option to use subject headings. Similar to MeSH searches in PubMed, a"Map term to Subject Headings" search brings you to a screen where you can further refine your search.  Ovid will then search for items that have been specifically identified as having your selected subject heading(s) as the main topic. View the "Subject Headings, Explode, and Focus" page of this guide for more information on subject headings in Ovid MEDLINE.

Combining Searches

Ovid MEDLINE works most effectively if you search for one subject at a time, then combine the searches.

• Search on your first subject heading.  Results will be displayed at the top of the screen.  
• Search on your next subject heading.  Do this for as many important concepts/subject headings you need.
• Ovid will save each of your searches in the search history box until you log out.
• In the search history, click the box in front of the items you want to combine;  Ovid defaults to using AND.  This means that results returned will have both subject headings as a major topic.

In this case, there are 88 items that pertain to both zika and malaria.  

Limiting Your Results

There are two ways to limit (or refine) your search in Ovid. The first is to embed the limits into your initial search by choosing a criteria from the blue area below the search box.  These limiters can be used after the initial search as well, as shown below.  The second set of filters is in the grey box on the left side of the screen.

Moving Your Citations to RefWorks

1. Perform your search in the Ovid MEDLINE database.

2. Select the items to send to RefWorks.

3. Click the Export button near the top of the Results Display.

4. Select RefWorks from the Export To menu.

5. Select the Complete Reference button from the Select Fields to Display section.

6. Click the Export Citation(s) button.

7. In RefWorks click the View Last Imported Folder button.