Journals@Ovid – Multiple Databases, Single Session

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 titles, references and abstracts 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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This focused search launches a search strategy that operates across two databases, namely Journals@Ovid and Ovid MEDLINE - at the same time. The search wants to obtain a full-text version of the 2010 article ‘Seventy-five trials and eleven systematic reviews a day: how will we ever keep up?’ as well as determine the extent to which it has been cited in scientific literature from 2024 onwards. The Focused Search in Module 7 has already established that there is no reference to the target article in Journals@Ovid. Although it was possible to locate it as a citation in the references section of the publications in Journals@Ovid.

The ‘Romper Search’, enabled on the Ovid platform by deploying the USE command to change databases, provides a means of searching across Journals@Ovid and Ovid MEDLINE, at the same time to (a). locate a full-text version of the target article, and (b). assess the extent of it having being cited by other authors.

Points to note:

• Journals@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.
• Ovid’s .mp (Multi-Purpose) search function also yields reliable results but needs care when comparing as the set of fields searched across in each case differs between databases.  
• 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.

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.

Instructions:

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

(Seventy-five trials and eleven systematic reviews a day: how will we ever keep up).m_titl.
(Seventy-five trials and eleven systematic reviews a day: how will we ever keep up).rf.
limit 2 to yr="2024 -Current"
3 use ovft
(Seventy-five trials and eleven systematic reviews a day: how will we ever keep up).m_titl.
(Seventy-five trials and eleven systematic reviews a day: how will we ever keep up).rf.
limit 6 to yr="2024 -Current"
7 use medal
4 or 8
remove duplicates from 9
 

Questions:

1. Is there an Ovid Full Text version of the 2010 target article available?
2. How many Ovid MEDLINE records are there in line #2? Display only them.
3. How could you easily change the date range to 2020 to current?

 

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:

Romper Search Presentation 1Q2025
https://tools.ovid.com/filemanager/uploads/Romper_Search_Presentation_1Q2025.pdf

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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 – Multiple Databases, Single Session [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=128