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Search Tab Options | Search History | Record Titles Display
OvidSP Main Search Page
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. | |
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| Text Tools Tab | A bar containing small icons for "Export", "Print" and "Email" | |
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| 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. | |
| 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. | |
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Font size of the text within OvidSP is editable. Increasing the font size does not negatively affect the interface. |
To search, follow these steps:
| Select a search tab (Basic Search shown). | |
| Type a term or phrase. | |
| OPTIONAL: Apply a database limit(s). | |
| 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.
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Your search options available are:
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| The selected tab is remembered if you logged into your Personal Account, which will be the default selected tab the next time you login. |
| An administrator can select the default tab for the entire organization, however; once you changed it, that change overrides. |
OvidSP will post the results to your Search History.
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 Ovid Web Gateway syntax-based searches--from within the OvidSP interface.
- SilverPlatter Search: Run Ovid Web Gateway syntax-based searches--from within the OvidSP interface.
- MultiField 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. |
| Without logging in to your personal account, settings and configurations done will not be saved once you logged out or once your session expires. |
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.

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.
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. | |
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Record Titles Display |
Lists citations of records from a results set in the search history. | |
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Results Manager |
Manages records in the display for output: Display, Print Preview, Email, Save and Order. |
| Was this Help context useful? Please let us know by clicking here. Thank you. |
OvidSP Main Search Page