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Search Biomedical Literature: A How-To Guide

Overview of steps and resources to assist researchers searching biomedical literature

What is PubMed?

What is PubMed?

PubMed is a free web-based interface for searching MEDLINE.

  • PubMed is created by the National Library of Medicine, and contains the MEDLINE database.
  • It covers journal articles in medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and health care systems.
  • PubMed has information about journal articles published in 5,600 journals in 30 languages dating back to 1946.
  • NLM indexers use a controlled vocabulary called Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Searching with MeSH helps you find more relevant articles.

PubMed Homepage

Introduction to PubMed

Introduction to PubMed: Watch & Learn

Watch this 7 minute video by Monique Grenier, UVic Science Librarian, discussing what PubMed is and how it differs from MEDLINE. The video also explains how to access PubMed through UVic Libraries and provides a brief explanation on Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 

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This work by The University of Victoria Libraries is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License unless otherwise indicated when material has been used from other sources.