Skip to Main Content

Nursing: PubMed

Use this LibGuide as a tool for selecting quality information resources and following tips to use them effectively to enhance your knowledge and improve patient care.

Tips for Searching PubMed

  • Access PubMed through the library's website.
  • Search with significant words or MeSH. If you don't know how to use MeSH, begin your search with significant words or  significant phrases. (PubMed will attempt to map to MeSH.)
    • Use parentheses around terms you 'OR' together such as (child OR children OR childhood). This informs PubMed which words you want to be affected by the Boolean operator 'OR'.  Not using the parentheses would produce different results.  
  • Use boolean operators (AND, OR) in capital letters to join significant words or phrases:
    • use 'AND' to include all your concepts or terms:  lumbar puncture AND meningitis.
    • use 'OR' for similar concepts or terms such as: (child OR childhood).  'OR' is the Boolean operator used for similar concepts such as (outpatient or ambulatory). It is read as one thing or the other, not necessarily each together. Example: (eye OR sinus) AND pain - would produce results about pain in either the eye or sinus.
  • When you find a good article, click on 'MeSH Terms' to view the MeSH attached to the article. This will help you search with MeSH terms.  (You can see the MeSH terms attached to articles with "PubMed - Indexed to MEDLINE" below the citation. Click on the citation, then click on 'MeSH Terms'.)
  • Citations with the  button offer immediate access to full-text.
  • Note: PubMed offers helpful online tutorials and tips.
  • Feel free to ask a Medical Librarian for assistance any time!