Journals@Ovid – Targeted Searching with the Advanced Search Template

Background

Journals@Ovid is an aggregated online database of all the journals available via the Ovid platform. These journals are from a variety of sources, principally, Lippincott®, Williams & Wilkins (LWW), from societies as well as from partnering publishers. The actual journals in full-text that you have access to will depend upon the selection of journal packages (2), groups of journals or individual publications your institution has subscribed to. Be sure to check with your librarian.

Accessible via the Ovid platform, collections of full-text journals as well as single publications can be searched on and across using Ovid's powerful search functionality. Journal content can be displayed and retrieved in PDF format. Or alternatively in the browser-based Ovid Full Text format, which in turn facilitates targeted navigation through the journal's content using the Outline feature. This format also enables the provision of information sharing and export via Tools. 

Journals@Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)

• Journals@Ovid is an aggregated online database of hundreds of scientific, technical, and medical journals.
• The Ovid Full Text Collections are subsets of journals combined for local access.
• The journals covered are from over 50 publishers and societies.
• Each journal is nevertheless available by individual subscription.
• Purchase of any of Ovid's Full Text journals, provides access to all the bibliographic citations in the database.
• The bibliographic citation information includes the title, references and abstract (where available) for each database record, all of which are searchable.

Training Session Programme

This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (3). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,

1. to introduce the database, Journals@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 Journals@Ovid. 

(1). Journals@Ovid Database Guide
https://ovidsp.dc1.ovid.com/ovid-new-b/ovidweb.cgi?&S=876bba95-4fa0-485f-95c9-386b9ccfaab1%7cmain&Database+Field+Guide=53

(2). Journals@Ovid
https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/ovid/platforms-products/journals

(3). OvidGO! Learning Resource
https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/

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In the previous Focused Search we saw how Ovid’s Basic Search employs an NLP driven relevancy ranking search engine to locate information, rank it according to the original search criteria and subsequently provide a set of results. In terms of its processing, such a search engine may be regarded as operating “field blind”.

By contrast Ovid’s Advanced Search mode draws heavily upon the system, structure and granularity of database fields in order to be able to locate information precisely and efficiently, even though the size of the database may well extend into tens of millions of database records. The power of database field searching will be looked at in more detail in subsequent Focused Searches along this Journals@Ovid Learning Pathway. The modules that follow will discuss and demonstrate searching techniques using database fields such as Title (TI), Abstract (AB), Keyword (KW), Full Text (TX), Caption Text (CT) and References (RF) as well as the use of Boolean (OR, AND, NOT), Proximity (ADJ / ADJn) and Frequency (FREQ) operators. 

In this module we shall look at how the Ovid Advanced Search mode also presents users with simple prompt-backed template to be able to run straight forward, yet precise search queries. The four search options and their prompts offered by the Advanced Search search template are,

• Keyword – Enter keyword or phrase (* or $ for truncation).
• Author – Enter Author’ last name, a space, and first initial if known.
• Title – Enter title word or phrase to search.
• Journal – Enter the first few letters of a full journal name; no abbreviations.

The following structured example illustrates how each of the four prompt-supported template modes can be used.

Instructions:

1. Logon to Ovid, select Journals@Ovid <To Present>, select the Advanced Search.
    
2. Select Keyword mode (this is usually the default setting) and enter the search ‘discontinuing disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis’. Press Enter upon which Ovid will run a regular .mp search using the terms and phrases provided.
    
3. Alternatively select Author mode and enter the search ‘androdias, geraline’. Press Enter upon which Ovid will firstly locate the author in the respective index. If this is the author you are looking for click on SEARCH FOR SELECTED TERMS to continue.
    
4. Alternatively select Title mode and enter as a search the full article title  ‘De-escalating and discontinuing disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis’. Press Enter upon which Ovid will run a regular .m_titl. search using the information provided.
    
5. Alternatively select Journal mode and enter the search ‘Brain’. Press Enter upon which Ovid will firstly locate the journal title in the respective index. If this is the journal title you are looking for click on SEARCH FOR SELECTED TERMS to continue.
    
6. Alternatively, having not yet logged on,  <Click here> to run this focused search above in Ovid.
    

discontinuing disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis.mp. [mp=title, abstract, full text, caption text]
androdias geraldine.au.
(De-escalating and discontinuing disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis).m_titl.
brain.jn.
 

Questions:

1. How would you amend the search in line #1 to cover all fields?
2. How would using just ‘androdias g’ in line #2 impact your results?
3. How many other journals are there where ‘Brain’ is part of their title?

 

Search Stategy

Copy Strategy Launch Search

Reviewers

Primary: Michael Fanning

Secondary: Charlotte Viken

Review Date: 2025-05-19

Expiry Date: 2026-05-19

Original search produced by:

Ovid Training Team

References:

OvidGO! / Skills Videos / General Introduction
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching

Citation:

OvidGO! Portal. Focused Searches: Journals@Ovid – Targeted Searching with the Advanced Search Template [Internet]. London (UK): Ovid Training Team (Editors); 2025 [updated 2 March 2024; cited 10 March 2025]. Available from: https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/searches/view.php?id=124