Field Guide to MEDLINE

Here's a handy book that I recommend to anyone who wants to build their searching skills. It covers an overview of content, basic tools and search strategies in the second chapter and then in the third and fourth chapter applies the techniques to PubMed and Ovid. So chapter 3 covers PubMed and chapter 4 covers Ovid. There are ample screen shots to illustrate each technique.

And even though both of these interfaces are changing and might not look exactly like they did when this book was produced in 2003, the theory and techniques will not change.

Borrow it from your local library...I'm sure you'll find it useful.


Stave, Christopher D. Field Guide to MEDLINE: Making Searching Simple. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003.