Ovid|SP Online Help

When you first log in, OvidSP opens the Main Search Page. From here, you have easy access to the information you want and assistance throughout the interface.

If you are currently logged in to your Personal Account; your Last Name, First Name and the name of your institution is displayed above the Search Button.

	Main Menu	Logical groupings of menu items.
		Support Help Knowledge Base Search Content
	Text Tools Tab	A bar containing small icons for Export, Print, Email and Save
		Export - similar to the Email function, it enables you to export or save results, articles, chapters from every place in the application. Depending on what you are trying to save, different default names and export options are available. Print - allows you to print selected elements. Email - you may email results, articles, chapters or work products from every place in the application. Attributes associated with email are: To - validated to ensure the standard format of xxx@xxx.xxx. Multiple emails are allowed and are separated by commas. From - a required field and also validated to ensure standard format. It uses your email address as default, but is editable. Subject - default is based on where in the application this function is invoked. Comments - a free text form will allow users to enter comments to accompany the email. There is no character restriction. Contents - varies based on where in the application this function is invoked. Save - allows you to save your search results, together with an option to include search strategy and link to each record, as text file in three (3) different platforms: Windows Style Linefeeds Macintosh Style Linefeeds Linux Style Linefeeds

	Limits	Focuses your search on a specific aspect of information. Apply limits to filter criteria and reduce the number of records in your results set.

	Search History	Focuses your search on a specific aspect of information. Apply limits to filter criteria and reduce the number of records in your results set. Saves them to your history.

	Results Manager	Available either above the Results Set area or below. It has a link Actions that, when clicked, drops down a menu of the actions contained within the Results Manager.

	Search Aid Tools	Shows the terms used to retrieve the records in the display.

Font size of the text within OvidSP is editable. Increasing the font size does not negatively affect the interface.

To conduct a search, follow these steps:

1.	Select a search mode (Basic Search shown).
2.	Type a term or phrase in everyday language.
3.	OPTIONAL: Apply a database limit(s).
4.	Click the Search button.

The single button on the left side of the Main Search header is called Search with a small triangle proceeding it. Clicking the small triangle displays all search options from which you may select.

Your available search options are:

Basic Search
Find Citation
Search Tools

Search Fields
Advanced Ovid Search
Multi-Field Search

The selected link is remembered if you logged into your Personal Account, which will be the default selected link the next time you login.

An administrator can select the default link for the entire organization, however; once you changed it, that change overrides.

Note;

The Universal Search link will be grayed out unless you subscribe the feature. Complete information about Universal search can be found here.

OvidSP will post the results to your Search History.

Search Mode Options

OvidSP's Basic Search from the Main Search Page is the default search type. But you have several ways to search.

Basic Search: Accepts natural language in any OvidSP resource--databases, journals, and books.
Find Citation: The best option to find a specific article citation.
Search Tools: All OvidSP database tools in one convenient location.
Search Fields: Search and browse indexed fields of any resource.
Advanced Ovid Search: Run OvidSP syntax-based searches--from within the OvidSP interface.
SilverPlatter Search: Run OvidSP syntax-based searches--from within the OvidSP interface.
Multi-Field Search: Enables you to search using multiple search terms.

Search type options and default settings may be configured differently from site to site. Contact your site administrator for these settings.

Note:

Without logging in to your personal account, settings and configurations done will not be saved once you logged out or once your session expires.

Search History

OvidSP posts and tracks the results sets in a search history window so you may:

Combine them using the Boolean operators AND and OR
Save them as your history
View existing or saved searches
Delete or remove duplicates, if necessary
Save individually selected lines
Save individual lines as Auto-Alert
Create an RSS Feed

Click the Display icon of a results set in the search history window to view results records. OvidSP opens that set in the Record Titles Display.

Clicking Actions will generate a drop-down menu of tasks you can perform with your results.

For Basic Search, all Boolean operators are grayed out. Combine Selections option is not available for Basic Search
If query is dependent on other queries, all dependencies are remembered for the saved queries
If no tick boxes are selected, both the Remove Selected and the Save Selected buttons are grayed out

ACTIONS

A new column containing a list of the following common tasks:

	Display - lists all result records in the Record Titles Display.
	Delete - removes the individual search query from the Search History.
	Save - saves individual (selected) search queries from the Search History. If query is dependent on other queries, all dependencies are remembered for the saved queries.
	Auto-Alert - saves individual search line as an Auto-Alert.
	RSS Feed - creates an RSS feed based on the individual line within the Search History. If query is dependent on other queries, all dependencies are remembered for the saved queries.

Note:

Actions icons which are not shown on the initial display may be accessed by clicking on the More>> link:

Record Titles Display

Each record titles display has three basic components.

	Search Aid	Shows terms used to gain results for the most recent search statement and highlights them in the record titles display. For further details, click here.
	Record Titles Display	Lists citations of records from a results set in the search history.
	Results Manager	Manages records in the display for output: Display, Print Preview, Email, Save and Order.

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