Ovid MEDLINE Search Instructions
Step Seven - Searching Specific Fields (for Author, Title, Journal, etc.)
Ovid provides several useful features allowing you to easily search for particular authors, titles, or journals, as well as features to search for specific elements in any field of a MEDLINE record.
Searching for Authors, Titles, or Journals
To search for authors, titles, or journals, click on the relevant
icon at the top of the main search screen, and then follow the directions
above the search text box for typing in your search term(s). For
author and journal searches the database will return an alphabetical
list of entries for you to choose from (you can jump backward or
forward in this alphabetical list by using the buttons at the top
of the screen).
Searching Other Fields of a Record
Suppose you only know bits and pieces of the reference that you
are trying to find - for example you may only know the last names
of the authors (but no initials), or you may only know two or three
words that appear in the title. In this case you can click on the
"Search Fields" icon at the top of the main search screen. The next
screen will then show a search text box for you to enter one of
the words or numbers in your query, and below this box you can check
off which field or fields you want the database to search for that
particular word or number. (Note: If you only know the author's
last name you will need to add the truncation [$] symbol to the
end of the name, as in Smith$.)
You can conduct searches this way for each piece of information that you know, and then combine the search sets as described in Step Five.
EXAMPLE - Searching for authors
When conducting an author search, you will be provided with an alphabetical list of author's last names and initials. This screen shows the menu of authors that you must pick from when you enter the search "Thomas, V". If you know the author uses a second initial, then choose the appropriate entry with the first and second initial from the list provided. Once you have chosen, click on the "Perform Search" button to continue.
