Tricks and Tips for Searching an Ovid Database

(Via the Web)

ALWAYS READ THE SCREENS

Search Techniques

||SUBJECT SEARCHING||KEYWORD SEARCHING||LIMITING YOUR SEARCH||
||AUTHOR SEARCHING||JOURNAL SEARCHING||CHANGE DATABASE||

Subject Searching: Locate subject headings relevant to your search by clicking in the box Map term to Subject Heading and entering a term or phrase. Mapping will help find relevant subject headings for your term and provide a link to citations for all records related to the specific subject. To choose from the list of suggested subject headings click in the box next to the subject heading(s) you wish to apply then, click on CONTINUE at the top of the page. You may also choose to search the term(s) you entered as a KEYWORD SEARCH by clicking on the option at the end of the list of suggested subject headings search as Keyword.

Keyword Searching: At the main search screen you are prompted to Enter Keyword or phrase. Make sure that the box Map term to Subject Heading is not checked.

Truncation: allows you to search all forms of a word. Ovid truncation symbols are:

$ Retrieves all variations of a root word by replacing any number of characters (used only at the end of a string of characters). Example: interview$ retrieves interviews, interviewing, etc.
# Replaces a single character within a word (may be used as many times as needed). Example: wom#n retrieves women and woman
Combining Terms: Use the following techniques to combine different concepts of your search statement.

"and" To narrow your search, link terms using the word and. Only records that contain both terms will be retrieved. Example: employment and interview$

"or" To expand your search, link terms using the word or. Records will be retrieved that contain one term or the other or both terms. Example: laws or legislation

"not" Precede a term with not to exclude it from your search results. Example: dolphin$ not football

Searches result in numbered sets. You can narrow or expand searches by using set numbers instead of re-entering the search terms. Example: 1 and interview$

Parentheses should be used to combine different search techniques. Example: employment and (laws or legislation)
Adjacency: narrows your search even more than using "and" by allowing you to indicate the number of words that separate your search terms. adj plus a number allows you to indicate the number of words that you want to separate search terms. NOTE:There is no space between adj and the number. Example: employment adj3 interview$
Limiting your search: Common limits (Example: Publication Year) located under the search entry form can be selected before you create a search set. To limit the results of a previous search click on the Limit icon at the top of the screen, and choose from the list of available limits to apply.

Author Search: Search for documents by a specific author by clicking on the Author icon at the top of the Main Search Page. Enter the author's last name, followed by first name or inital. Coose from the author list by clicking in the box next to the name(s) you wish to search then click on Perform Search at the top of the screen.

Journal Search: Search for documents in a specific journal title by clicking on the Journal icon at the top of the Main Search Page. Enter the name of the journal you wish to search, do not use abbreviations. Select from the list of available journal titles by clicking in the box next to the title(s) you wish to search then click on Perform Search at the top of the screen.

Change Database: Click on the Change Database icon at the top of the Main Search Page to start re-run previous searches in a different OVID database. This allows you to run previous searches without having to re-enter them in the new database. Select from the list by clicking in the box next to the name of the new database(s) you wish to open then click on any of the click to begin search to the left of the list. You will then be given the option of opening the new database(s) and re-runing your previous searches without having to re-enter them.

Where to Get Help
On-Screen Help: Click on the Help icon in the upper right portion of your screen.
The Thomas Jefferson Library Reference Desk is available to answer questions about database searching via phone or email: 314-516-5060 or e-ref@umsl.edu
The Technology Support Center (Help Desk) at 314-516-6034 offers technical support for hardware and software difficulties.

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This page is maintained by Clinton Berry, Reference Librarian at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Last updated April 24, 2001