Focused Searches

How to construct searches using either a user defined group of fields or the database specific ‘multi-purpose’ (.mp) set of fields as provided by Ovid.

Background

Embase, produced by the academic publishing and information analytics company Elsevier B.V., is one of the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) database for peer-reviewed biomedical information. The Embase database covers all disciplines of medical and biomedical science as well as Allied Health subjects.

Embase on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)

• A bibliographic database, Embase is made up of over 41 million database records.
• Over 1.7 million records are added each year.
• Database records are indexed using Emtree, the Elsevier Life Science Thesaurus.
• Conference materials, currently at over 5 million records, have been included since 2009.
• Preprint records, from several sources, have been included since November 2021.
• All database records are indexed using automated means and procedures.
• Records pertaining to diseases, drugs and devices undergo further manual indexing.

Training Session Programme

This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,

1. to introduce the database, Embase on Ovid, drawing upon where helpful, parallels and comparisons with Ovid MEDLINE,
2. to discuss, demonstrate and practice the key features and functionality of the database Embase on Ovid. 

(1) Reference for the above is the Embase Indexing Guide 2024.
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/       

When using the Advanced Search mode in a bibliographic database like Embase on Ovid, it is common practice to enter a search term followed by the field or fields you want Ovid to search in. For example, the search expression (adolescent$ or young adult$).ti,ab,kf. (see this Focused Search, line #1) tells Ovid to search for the terms adolescent or adolescents or young adult or young adults in the Title (TI) field as well as the Abstract (AB) and Keyword Heading (KF) fields. This kind of search is referred to as a qualified search in the sense that the instruction to the database is explicit, namely “go and look for these specific terms in these specific fields, that I, the user have selected.”

But as noted in a previous Focused Search, databases vary not only in size but also in terms of their “shape”. You may, for instance, be uncertain about the field composition or layout of the database. In such cases Ovid can help out with the multi-purpose or .mp search. This is described as an unqualified search across a default set of fields which are specific to the database being used.

In this case, the example as used above would be entered as (adolescent$ or young adult$).mp. For Embase the default set of fields across which Ovid will search are:

title, abstract, heading word, drug trade name, original title, device manufacturer, drug manufacturer, device trade name, keyword heading word, floating subheading word, candidate term word.

Because the default fields to be covered by an .mp search are pre-determined, .mp based searches lend themselves well to cross database searching. In this sense the .mp search option is a helpful supplement to Ovid’s Basic Search which is also able to carry search expressions easily across multiple databases.

Practice Suggestions:

1. Combine and compare this Focused Search with the Basic Search adolescents adhd ritalin adverse effects {Including Related Terms}. Note that in the Basic Search the search line adolescents adhd ritalin adverse effects {Including Related Terms} has as its search type Basic. But when you limit this line to Five Stars, the search type changes to Advanced. This now enables you to combine this result set with the results in this .mp example. Do the numbers differ greatly?
2. Use the Change option to run this Focused Search through Ovid MEDLINE. Do both versions of the search, i.e. the lines using .ti,ab,kf. as opposed to .mp, run properly? How could you easily compare the results obtained in Ovid MEDLINE with those from Embase on Ovid?
3. Use the Change option to run this Focused Search through APA PsycInfo. Do both versions of the search, i.e. the lines using .ti,ab,kf. as opposed to .mp, run properly? How can you tell? Identify two markers that tell you.

Strategy

(adolescent$ or young adult$).ti,ab,kf. [Version 1: User defined group of fields]
(adhd or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).ti,ab,kf.
(ritalin or methylphenidate$).ti,ab,kf.
(adverse effect$ or adverse event$ or untoward effect$).ti,ab,kf.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4
(adolescent$ or young adult$).mp. [Version 2: Ovid .mp defined group of fields]
(adhd or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).mp.
(ritalin or methylphenidate$).mp.
(adverse effect$ or adverse event$ or untoward effect$).mp.
6 and 7 and 8 and 9

How to fine tune individual search lines as well as whole search queries using user-selected criteria, called ‘limits’.

Background

Embase, produced by the academic publishing and information analytics company Elsevier B.V., is one of the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) database for peer-reviewed biomedical information. The Embase database covers all disciplines of medical and biomedical science as well as Allied Health subjects.

Embase on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)

• A bibliographic database, Embase is made up of over 41 million database records.
• Over 1.7 million records are added each year.
• Database records are indexed using Emtree, the Elsevier Life Science Thesaurus.
• Conference materials, currently at over 5 million records, have been included since 2009.
• Preprint records, from several sources, have been included since November 2021.
• All database records are indexed using automated means and procedures.
• Records pertaining to diseases, drugs and devices undergo further manual indexing.

Training Session Programme

This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,

1. to introduce the database, Embase on Ovid, drawing upon where helpful, parallels and comparisons with Ovid MEDLINE,
2. to discuss, demonstrate and practice the key features and functionality of the database Embase on Ovid. 

(1) Reference for the above is the Embase Indexing Guide 2024.
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/       

When constructing a search question it is helpful to separate out the search terms and phrases from additional criteria that can be used to systematically reduce your database results down to a manageable number of references. Such additional criteria could be the type of publication; a journal article, a review, a specific type of review, e.g. Cochrane or ACP, a case report or even a letter or  editorial. Other additional criteria could include narrowing down the result set by language or by time. In the context of searching for information on databases, imposing such additional criteria upon a search is referred to as applying ‘limits’. Whilst the idea of employing limits is common to A&I databases, the variety and scope of the ‘limits’ options available to searchers can differ between databases.    

This Focused Search introduces an initial selection of limits available for Embase on Ovid.

The limits can be selected and applied sequentially (see lines #6,#7 and #8) or imposed in a single step (see line #9). The full range of limits available for the database you are searching in, can be viewed and selected by clicking on the Additional Limits option at the bottom of the initial selection display. You can also place the limits, most useful to you, on the initial selection display by selecting the Edit Limits option. Your selection will remain as your initial display selection for the duration of your database session. After which they will return to and re-display the default selection.

For database administrators, please note  however, that the default selection can be customized for you by Ovid Technical Support so that the default selection of limits better addresses your users’ needs. 

Practice Suggestions

1. From the results shown in line #5, how many of them are from preprint servers?
2. Line #6 removes from the total number of records, those that do not have abstracts. Use the NOT operator to determine how many of these records there are? Could they nevertheless still be relevant to the search query? How could you assess this?
3. Narrow the results in line #5 to phase 3 clinical trials. Tip: Display the full list of available limits by clicking on Additional Limits. How would you do this for an equivalent search in Ovid MEDLINE?

Strategy

(adolescent$ or young adult$).mp. [Version 2: Ovid .mp defined group of fields]
(adhd or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).mp.
(ritalin or methylphenidate$).mp.
(adverse effect$ or adverse event$ or untoward effect$).mp.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4
limit 5 to abstracts
limit 6 to full text
limit 7 to yr=”2020 -Current”
limit 5 to (abstracts and full text and yr=”2020 -Current”)

How to limit searches to spans of time from complete years or parts of years to user-defined time frames covering years, weeks or days.

Background

Embase, produced by the academic publishing and information analytics company Elsevier B.V., is one of the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) database for peer-reviewed biomedical information. The Embase database covers all disciplines of medical and biomedical science as well as Allied Health subjects.

Embase on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)

• A bibliographic database, Embase is made up of over 41 million database records.
• Over 1.7 million records are added each year.
• Database records are indexed using Emtree, the Elsevier Life Science Thesaurus.
• Conference materials, currently at over 5 million records, have been included since 2009.
• Preprint records, from several sources, have been included since November 2021.
• All database records are indexed using automated means and procedures.
• Records pertaining to diseases, drugs and devices undergo further manual indexing.

Training Session Programme

This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,

1. to introduce the database, Embase on Ovid, drawing upon where helpful, parallels and comparisons with Ovid MEDLINE,
2. to discuss, demonstrate and practice the key features and functionality of the database Embase on Ovid. 

(1) Reference for the above is the Embase Indexing Guide 2024.
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/       

This Focused Search looks at ways in which searches can be limited to general or specific spans of time.

Limiting by a Range of Complete Years
The easiest way to limit a search to a range of complete years is to use the Year of Publication (YR) field. This field is marked and populated by the indexers as soon as the processing of the original document begins.  The database’s Limits function provides the option for the user to enter the wished for date range. Alternatively, set ranges, i.e. 3 Years, 5 years etc. can also be selected. All the records in Embase on Ovid have a year of publication. See lines #1 and #2 of the accpmpanying Focused Search. But note this is distinct from the dates connected to the document’s record being processed for inclusion in the database.

Limiting by Parts of Years
For searches across parts of years, down to months and even days, Ovid recommends using the First Date (DD) (formerly the Date Delivered field) field. This field marks the date when the document’s record was added to Embase. As the date reflects the date on which the citation was added to the database, this is not the date of either the original document’s publication or even its electronic publication in the database. Also as a phrased-indexed field (compare lines #6 and #7 in the accompanying Focused Search), the First Date (DD) field lends itself well to truncation. So for example in the expression limit 1 to dd=202401*-202402* will yield results from all of January 2024 to all of February 2024.

Updating Search Strategies
Search strategies can be updated using the date range searching methods as described above. However, due to the inherent dynamism within the database’s records management, care must be taken when interpreting the results. An alternative method is to extract the records, on say day x and save them according to their unique identifiers (which in Embase is the record's Accession Number (AN)), either as a search in My Workspace or in an external document. Then later, on day y, run the same search and save these results similarly. Use the NOT operator to establish the difference between the results sets for day x and day y. This final result will indicate the number of records additionally found between day x and day y.

Practice Suggestions

1. How many records are there in Embase on Ovid whose publication date is in the 1800s? Is this the same for a similar search in Ovid MEDLINE? 
2. Is the last record in Embase on Ovid the oldest record in the database? Is the last record available in full text? How could you establish this?
3. How could you use date range searching to illustrate the rapid rise of articles in Embase on Ovid that discuss the role of ChatGPT in health care?

Strategy

docz.dz.
(19* or 20*).yr.
"2024".yr.
("2020" or "2021" or "2022" or "2023" or "2024" or "2025").yr.
limit 1 to yr=2020-2025
"2024".dd.
2024*.dd.
limit 1 to dd=20250101-20250331 [Date Range: 1st January 2025 to 31st March 2025]
limit 1 to dd=20240101-20240331 [Date Range: 1st January 2024 to 31st March 2024]
limit 1 to dd=20240601-20240610 [Date Range: 1st June 2024 to 10th June 2024]

How to launch a search strategy, that utilising database specific thesauri and limits, nevertheslss functions across multiple databases, and does so in one database session. (Romper Search).

Background

Embase, produced by the academic publishing and information analytics company Elsevier B.V., is one of the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) database for peer-reviewed biomedical information. The Embase database covers all disciplines of medical and biomedical science as well as Allied Health subjects.

Embase on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)

• A bibliographic database, Embase is made up of over 41 million database records.
• Over 1.7 million records are added each year.
• Database records are indexed using Emtree, the Elsevier Life Science Thesaurus.
• Conference materials, currently at over 5 million records, have been included since 2009.
• Preprint records, from several sources, have been included since November 2021.
• All database records are indexed using automated means and procedures.
• Records pertaining to diseases, drugs and devices undergo further manual indexing.

Training Session Programme

Questions:

1. Are there benefits to exploding the Emtree term ‘palbociclib’?
2. Are there benefits to exploding the Emtree term ‘neutropenia’?
3. How could you focus the search without going back to the Emtree thesaurus?

This focused search launches a search strategy that operates across two databases, namely Embase on Ovid and Ovid MEDLINE - at the same time. The search is investigating covid vaccines and their potential side effects. The difficulty is that both of the constituent topics, i.e. covid vaccines and side effects, are treated differently by the controlled vocabularies of the target databases, Embase on Ovid and Ovid MEDLINE. The ‘Romper Search’, enabled on the Ovid platform by deploying the USE command to change databases, provides a means of searching two or more databases in a single session while still making use of the thesaurus and limits selection, specific to each of the databases. The instructions below plus the accompanying supplemental documentation describe in detail how to build such a search. Once practiced and familiar with the construction of this type of search, you could save it in Ovid My Workspace as a model example, for re-use and further development.

Points to note:

• The regulatory environment around drug and device safety usually requires that A&I databases be consulted individually.
• Best practice guidelines around systematic literature searching also recommends searching in separate databases.
• Embase on Ovid and Ovid MEDLINE are both available on the Ovid platform and can be searched individually or in combination.
• When searching the databases in combination, search expressions employing the Title (TI) or Abstract (AB) fields, either separately or in combination, yield reliable results. As does Ovid’s Basic Search (NLP) mode. So too does Ovid’s .mp (Multi-Purpose) search function. This however needs qualification as the set of fields searched across in each case differs between databases.  
• However, where the search strategy wants to avail of the specific thesaurus qualities of the target databases and/or the database’s own selection of limits, problems of inaccurate term or terms translation or rendering may occur.
• Named the ‘Romper Search’ Ovid has developed a search option that, utilizing the USE command, facilitates a single search across two or more databases in one session enabling searchers to avail of the databases’ specific construction, their database specific controlled vocabulary and sets of limits.

Instructions:

1. Logon to Ovid, select firstly Ovid MEDLINE and the Advanced Search / Keyword mode.
2.  Enter the search expressions for this database.
3. Park your Ovid MEDLINE results in the search history using the database segment abbreviation ‘medall’.
4. While still in the Ovid session, next select Embase and remain in the Advanced Search / Keyword mode.
5. Enter the search expressions for this database.   
6. Park your Embase results in the search history using the database segment abbreviation ‘oemezd’.
7. Now re-run your parked searches through Ovid MEDLINE and Embase in the one session.
8. Combine your parked searches using the OR operator.
9. Add limits or impose additional search criteria, e.g. deduplication, as necessary.
10. Alternatively, having not yet logged on,  <Click here> to run this focused search above in Ovid.

COVID-19 Vaccines/
"Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions"/
1 and 2
3 use medall
SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/
adverse drug reaction/
5 and 6
7 use oemezd
4 or 8
remove duplicates from 9

Questions:

1. How could you expand upon the search using free terms?
2. Would the limit Publication Type [PT] cover clinical trials for both databases?
3. How could you identify the duplicates within Embase only?

Strategy

COVID-19 Vaccines/
"Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions"/
1 and 2
3 use medall [1. Park above in Ovid MEDLINE, 2. Continue in Embase]
SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/
adverse drug reaction/
5 and 6
7 use oemezd [1. Park in Embase, 2. Re-run in both databases]
4 or 8 [Combine Ovid MEDLINE & Embase results]
remove duplicates from 9

How to retrieve and display a single article reference, cited in two different databases, APA PsycInfo on Ovid and Ovid MEDLINE, in order to compare the content and format of the database record for the respective resource.

Background

APA PsycInfo describes itself as "(T)he premier abstracting and indexiing database covering the behavioral and social sciences from the authority in psychology". (1) A resource produced and made available by the American Psychological Association (APA), APA PsycInfo, along with Ovid MEDLINE and Embase on Ovid, constitute, in their respective fields, the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases for peer-reviewed scientific information. 

APA PsycInfo on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)

• A bibliographic database, APA PsycInfo is made up of over 5.7 million database records.
• Within these database records are some 144 million cited references.
• The database records are derived from 2,400 journals.
• Database records are indexed using the APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms (R).
• Content includes not only journal articles but also book chapters and dissertations.
• Spanning 600 years of content, the database is updated twice weekly.
• Additional topics related to psychology, also covered range from AI to education, medicine and sports.

Training Session Programme

This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,

1. to introduce the database, APA PsycInfo on Ovid, drawing upon where helpful, parallels and comparisons with Ovid MEDLINE,
2. to discuss, demonstrate and practice the key features and functionality of the database APA PsycInfo on Ovid. 

(1). See https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo/index
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/       

This focused search, conducted across two databases (APA PsycInfo on Ovid and Ovid MEDLINE) in a single session, retrieves two versions of the same article. One version is from APA PsycInfo on Ovid, the other from Ovid MEDLINE. By comparing these two versions (it is suggested in two different browser windows) you will be able to compare the similarities and differences in the respective displays of each of the records.

Points to note:

• There are a range of similarities and differences between A&I bibliographic databases.
• Similarities include the way in which the records are constructed, editorial processes, the use of controlled vocabularies for indexing, limits, author keyword inclusion, how the records may be searched and how the results are displayed.
• However, differences may also be evident in these very areas, i.e. in way in which the records are constructed, editorial processes, the use of controlled vocabularies for indexing, author keyword inclusion, how the records may be searched and how the results are displayed etc.
• An awareness of the similarities and differences between A&I bibliographic databases will make for a better understanding of them and help in the construction of search strategies.

Instructions:

1. Logon to Ovid, select APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present> and Ovid MEDLINE <1946 to Present>.
2. Select the Advanced Search / Title mode.
3. Enter the article title as the search for this focused search as listed below.
4. Alternatively, having not yet logged on,  <Click here> to run this focused search above in Ovid.

"Everything has its price: Foundations of cost-sensitive machine learning and its application in psychology."

which yields...

"Everything has its price: Foundations of cost-sensitive machine learning and its application in psychology.".m_titl.

Practice Suggestions

1. Do both versions display the same Keyword Headings? If so, why is this the case?
2. How many major topics are listed in each of the two bibliographic records?
3. You want to send an e-mail to the corresponding author. Which record provides the relevant information?

Strategy

"Everything has its price: Foundations of cost-sensitive machine learning and its application in psychology.".m_titl.

How to use the database command 'docz.dz.' and the Status (ST) field to identify the constituent parts of APA PsycInfo and show their relative sizes.

Background

APA PsycInfo describes itself as "(T)he premier abstracting and indexiing database covering the behavioral and social sciences from the authority in psychology". (1) A resource produced and made available by the American Psychological Association (APA), APA PsycInfo, along with Ovid MEDLINE and Embase on Ovid, constitute, in their respective fields, the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases for peer-reviewed scientific information. 

APA PsycInfo on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)

• A bibliographic database, APA PsycInfo is made up of over 5.7 million database records.
• Within these database records are some 144 million cited references.
• The database records are derived from 2,400 journals.
• Database records are indexed using the APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms (R).
• Content includes not only journal articles but also book chapters and dissertations.
• Spanning 600 years of content, the database is updated twice weekly.
• Additional topics related to psychology, also covered range from AI to education, medicine and sports.

Training Session Programme

This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,

1. to introduce the database, APA PsycInfo on Ovid, drawing upon where helpful, parallels and comparisons with Ovid MEDLINE,
2. to discuss, demonstrate and practice the key features and functionality of the database APA PsycInfo on Ovid. 

(1). See https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo/index
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/       

Strategy

docz.dz.    
limit 1 to "0100 journal"    
limit 1 to "0110 peer-reviewed journal"    
limit 1 to "0130 peer-reviewed status unknown"    
limit 1 to "0200 book"    
limit 1 to "0240 authored book"    
limit 1 to "0280 edited book"    
limit 1 to "0300 encyclopedia"    
limit 1 to "0400 dissertation abstract"    
limit 1 to "0500 electronic collection"    
or/2-10    
1 not 11    
11 or 12