The Ovid system defaults to a subject search unless another search command is selected. The buttons at the top of the screen allow a change to search by author, title words or journal title.
The databases available through the Ovid system, are indexed using controlled vocabulary. This means that the people who assign the subject terms to each citation may only choose from a list of official terms.
So that users of the system do not have to know each of the terms, and its exact wording, the system provides help. For example, if a user types in a search for, breast cancer, the system would use its mapping function to bring up a ranked list of relevant terms. Note: Mapping is useful, but not full proof. Be sure to try other terms if the results seem unrelated.
You may then choose one of the terms, or if none of the listed terms are applicable you may choose the last option, BREAST CANCER (Search as Keyword) which will look for that phrase in the titles and abstracts.
Exploding a search term retrieves the citations indexed with the term as well as any indexed with any of the more narrow terms located under the term in the hierarchy. To view the tree hierarchy for a term, click on the term (see example below). For example, an exploded search for breast neoplasms would also retrieve articles indexed under the three narrower terms listed below it .
Check the Focus box to limit your topic to articles which have that subject listed as the primary topic of the article.
The subheading screen presents the second of the narrowing options. The screen contains a list of subheadings which may be applied to your subject heading. Click on the term to jump to an explanation of the term and how it is used.
To keep your search broad, you may choose to select Include All Subheadings To narrow, you are given the option of marking one or more of the subheadings by clicking each corresponding box, placing a check in each.
Limiting a search set is useful in reducing a large retrieval set by focusing on certain restrictive requirements. When you press limit button you will be instructed to select the set you wish to limit. You may then select from the list of Limiting Categories displayed.
Each time you perform a search command a retrieval set is created. The sets are then listed on your main search screen in the order they were created. To combine two or more sets, click the combine button. You will be instructed to select the sets you wish to combine.
Next to each search set created, you may choose to display the records in that set by clicking on the display button.
When browsing the titles display, to select records that you would like to print, save or email click in the box next to the citation number. When you have finished browsing, go to the bottom of the page to the citation manager which provides you with the options to display, save or email your records.
You may choose to take action on the selected records, all records, or the records on the current page.
When saving records for use with a reference manager program (such as EndNote), the Reprint/Medlars format should be selected.
To print the records, choose the display button which directs the program to display the records sequentially for printing without the extra buttons on the page. The sort keys allow you to choose the order in which the citations are retrieved.
Some records will have links to Full Text. Clicking on the Full Text link will bring you to the first screen of the text of the article, including table, figures and other graphics. By default, the graphics will display as thumb nail size. Prior to printing, go to the Full Text Manager and select Full Size from the Graphics Options.
Greenblatt Library Tip Sheets