Ovid Technologies, Inc.

Visit our home page at http://www.ovid.com/ for additional documentation and the latest information.

Ovid Contact Information

Ovid Technologies, Ltd. Support
107 Hammersmith Grove
London W6 ONQ, England
+44 (0)20 8748 3777
FAX: +44 (0)20 8748 2302
EMAIL: eusupport@ovid.com

Ovid Technologies Support
25 Bligh Street
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
+61 (0) 2 9231 5599
FREECALL AUS: 1 (800) 226 474
FREECALL NZ: 0 (800) 446 106
FAX: +61 (0) 2 9231 5086
EMAIL: ovid@unilinc.edu.au, ausupport@ovid.com

<© 2000 Ovid Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Updated 6 March 2000 for Ovid Release 4.1.0.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Logging In to Ovid

Getting Assistance

Starting a Search

Displaying and Outputting Search Results

Ovid Web Gateway Full Text

Multifile and Deduping

Advanced Searching Techniques

Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction: Ovid Web Gateway Online User Guide

• new format and navigation features on the Database Selection Page
• Main Search Page enhancements, including new Delete Searches option, enhanced Mapping feature, and search-facilitating options when changing databases
• enhanced Ovid Full Text format; new Full Text Navigation box that improves functionality of Full Text display and output;  increased mobility with new Browse arrows and History box
• new WebLinks feature
• information icons added to the Limit a Search page
• Tools feature enhancements to Thesaurus and Tree displays
• options for customizing Titles Display
• Citation Manager improvements, including enhanced format and output functions, and better access to ASCII full text displays

Note: Help while searching online can be accessed by clicking the Help button located throughout the Ovid Web Gateway Online interface. Where relevant, differences between Basic Mode and Advanced Mode interfaces are explained.

Logging In to Ovid

1. Click the user ID box and enter your user ID.
2. Press the tab key or click in the Password box to enter your password. For security purposes, the characters of your password are masked as asterisks as you type.
3. Choose a search mode interface by selecting the Basic Mode or Advanced Mode radio button.
4. Click the Start Ovid button.

Ovid News Page

Note: Some news pages have been customized to site specifications. Therefore, you might not see an Ovid News page; you might see a site-specific news page or no news page at all.

When you finish with the Ovid News page, click the Continue button at the top of the News page to move to the Database Selection page.

Database Selection Page

The dates listed beside database names indicate the current range of time you can expect to be covered by the information in the database. If you would like more information about a particular database before you make a selection, click on the “i” icon to the left of any database name and read the database’s Field Guide.

If your site has enabled Multifile database searching, you can select the More Than One Database to Search tab.  To learn about searching in multiple databases simultaneously, see Multifile and Deduping.

Database Field Guides

• introductory scope notes that outline the coverage of the database
• contact information about the producers of the database
• years of coverage
• default fields
• database update frequency
• two-letter field qualifiers, search samples, and popular command and sentence syntaxes
• list of limits available in the database, including a brief description of each and the popular command-syntax and sentence-syntax limits
• tips on changing to the database from another database, including search labels
• samples of database documents
• producer copyright information

Note: Your Ovid account has an Idle Time Limit. If you do not interact with the interface for a designated length of time, Ovid automatically logs you off and returns you to the Ovid Login page, displaying a warning message. In this way, Ovid prevents unnecessary use of an Ovid license. It is also important for you to click the Logoff icon or enter the ..o logoff command when you finish using Ovid because, even though you may follow a hyperlink out of the Ovid interface, you continue to occupy a software license until you log off or the Idle Time Limit expires.

Session Recovery

• "Recover this search session," or
• "Start a new session".

Getting Assistance

Ovid Help Pages

Ask-a-Librarian

Contact Us

Starting a Search

Using Basic Mode

ENTER KEYWORDS--Enter a keyword or phrase to search in the Keyword Search command line. Then click the Perform Search button. Ovid performs a subject search in the basic index fields of that particular database, then gives results immediately.

ENTER AUTHOR NAME--Enter an author's last name in the Author Search command line. For more precise results, enter the last name followed by a space and the first initial. If the author of interest to you has published many papers, focus your search by entering both an author name in the Author Search command line and a keyword or phrase in the Keyword Search command line.

SELECT LIMITS--Choose as many Limits as you want to help focus your search. Click checkboxes preceding Limit names or, in the case of Year Limits, select a desired range from the pulldown menu.

Note: Applying limits to a search creates filtering criteria for retrieval and reduces the number of results. Therefore, apply limits to refine your results. For more inclusive retrieval, leave the Limits checkbox blank.

Note: All of these choices are not available for all titles. Return to the Titles Display by clicking the Titles Display button.

SELECT DESIRED TITLES--Click the corresponding checkboxes of all titles you want to redisplay, print, save, or email using Ovid's Citation Manager.

MANAGE YOUR OUTPUT--Use your Web browser's print and save functions at any time to print or save information that appears on the screen. To gain more options and precise control over your output, use the Citation Manager (as described in Citation Manager, below).

CHANGE DATABASE--Once you retrieve satisfactory results from one database, you can start a search in another database. From the Main Search Page, click the Change Database icon. Ovid presents you with the Database Selection Page. There, choose another database to search by clicking the Go button to the left of any database name.

When searching a database, you might find the number of hits (titles retrieved) to be more overwhelming than of use. In such an instance, return to the Main Search Page from the Titles Display page and click the Advanced Mode icon. Ovid automatically carries over your search results. From the Advanced Mode interface, take advantage of tools that focus and refine your results sets into more manageable and useful results. See Using Advanced Mode for further details.

FINISHING--When you complete a search, Ovid presents options to perform a new search, change to another database, switch to Advanced Mode, or log off Ovid entirely--all from the Main Search Page. Remember, logging off is important to prevent unnecessary use of an Ovid software license.

Using Advanced Mode

• Enhanced Mapping capabilities allow you to map your search term to the appropriate controlled vocabulary term for the database, providing more precise retrieval.
• Multifile and Deduping enable you to search multiple databases simultaneously and to eliminate duplicate results from your search sets.
• A Search History window displays and saves results from each search strategy.
• Apply Limits to a previously completed search.
• Combine search results using enhanced Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT).
• Search with full Ovid command line syntax.

Advanced Mode Main Search Page

The Advanced Mode Main Search Page provides one text entry line supplemented by a number of icons and checkboxes. As you perform searches, Ovid posts each search statement and the corresponding results to the Search History window for further refinement and later viewing. The Advanced Mode command line supports many command syntaxes (see database Field Guides for more information). Where applicable, popular command line syntax is provided so that you can bypass the icon bar and save time.

Note: Command line syntax is not case sensitive.

Advanced Mode Search functions include the following.

Keyword

Refine even simple searches with Boolean set operators as in hematoma.sh and New England Journal of Medicine.jn. that searches the New England Journal of Medicine for documents with the subject heading "hematoma." Or use truncation at the Keywords box to find root words. For further details and more search tips, see Truncation & Wild Cards under "Advanced Searching Techniques."

Note: If your site has enabled Mapping, Ovid offers Mapping as a default feature during Keyword searching. When the Map Term to Subject Heading box is checked, Ovid maps your search term to the database's controlled indexing language. However, if you un-check the Map Term to Subject Heading box, Ovid performs a simple subject search in the default search fields of the database.
 

Author

Note: When you click the Author, Title, or Journal icons from the Advanced Mode Main Search Page, the icon bar remains at the top of the page and includes a Keyword icon. You can switch back and forth between these search options easily.
 

Title

Journal

Note: Journal line searching provides an effective way to focus a search within a particular journal.
 

Search Fields

In addition, Ovid offers access to indices of the listed fields. Viewing and selecting terms from the index are very useful when comprehensive retrieval is desired.  In the index you will see singular, plural, and other alternative forms of the search term that you may not have thought to enter—including, sometimes, misspellings!  To view a term within an index, enter your term on the line provided, select one or more fields, and click the Display Index(es) button. Ovid presents the Index Display Page. Select desired variations of your term from the displayed index. You can also navigate through the index page-by-page using the Back in Index and Forward in Index buttons. When ready, click the Perform Search button, and Ovid posts your results to the Main Search Page.
 

Tools

From the Tree, decide whether a single, more specific term might be useful to your search. You could also Explode the subject heading to include all of its narrower terms. You might Focus the subject heading to retrieve only those documents in which that term is the major concept (focus). In addition, Ovid provides access to Scope Notes from the Tree.

Remember that the Tree tool displays your search term in only the first context where it appears in the full subject Tree.  Use the Separate Contexts button to display all instances of your term within a database’s subject Tree.  To return to the full subject Tree, click the Full Contexts button.

Note: If a subject heading has more than one context, the Tree displays all the conceptual branches in which the term might appear. If a term appears in more than one branch of the Tree, Ovid displays the term in each of the branches. Browse through as much of the Tree as you wish, looking for terms to add to your search.
 

Scope Note Display for EYE, ARTIFICIAL

For example, when you enter the search term eye onto the Main Search Page command line (with the Map Term to Subject Heading box selected) and click the Perform Search button, the Subject Headings list appears on the ensuing Mapping Display page. Select the Scope Note icon for EYE, ARTIFICIAL. Ovid then presents the Scope Note Display page on which you can view See-Related terms (here, "ORBITAL IMPLANTS") and Used-For terms (here, "artificial eye" and "ocular prosthesis"). Use any of these terms to clarify and further investigate possible meanings of your original query.

Note: Database publishers index documents using the most specific terms applicable to their industry. For comprehensive coverage of a topic, Explode a term and all of its more specific elements.

Note: Tools are only available for databases built by the producer to include electronic versions of thesauri or a classification code.  For example, tools are not available in Journals@Ovid or in many of the smaller bibliographic databases.  In Current Contents and the EBMR databases--Best Evidence (ACP) and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (COCH)--Tools differ from those explained above. For a specific listing of Tools available, consult a database's Field Guide.

CLASSIFICATION CODES—The Classification Codes tool is available for selected databases, including ATLA, AGRICOLA, CAB Abstracts, PsycINFO, and more.  The Classification Codes tool displays a list of database-specific subject categories, arranged in a hierarchy with broader terms near the top of the display and more specific concepts appearing near the bottom.  This hierarchy of terms is also known as a tree.  Searching on the codes can be a convenient way to subset the database into subject areas that can then be searched on.  For example, an educational database might code information as follows:

1000 = science
2000 = English
3000 = history

Note: Not all Classification Codes are numeric.
 

Combine

Limits

Note: Database Field Guides provide a complete list of available limits.
 

Change to Basic Mode

Change Database

• Open and Re-execute--to open a new database (or start a Multifile database search) and re-run prior searches from the previous database,
• Open and Clear History--to open the new database without running previous searches, or
• Return to Current Session--to return to the Main Search Page of the database you were searching, with prior searches still intact.

Search History Window

Expand Search History Display

Save Search History

• temporarily (24 hours)--Ovid automatically deletes these searches when the time limit expires,
• permanently--Ovid saves these searches indefinitely, or
• AutoAlert--Ovid saves these searches and re-executes them whenever the database is updated, automatically emailing the designated recipient(s) new documents that match the search criteria.

Note: If the ..sv command is used to save a search with a name that is already in use for another search, Ovid overwrites the first search without warning. Also, you must use single string save names, as in Heart_Attack.

Delete/Purge Searches

Caution: Using the purge command and then your Web browser's Back feature can cause unpredictable results!

Running and Editing Saved Searches

Note: AutoAlerts are not available for Multifile searches.

The Saved Searches Page is similar to the following:

Saved Searches Page

To run a previously saved search from the Main Search Page, perform the following steps:

1. From the Main Search Page, click the Saved Searches button located below the Search History.
2. Click on the checkbox next to the search you want to run.
3. Click the Run Search button to perform the selected search.

Deleting Saved Searches

The Delete feature allows you to permanently remove searches from your list of saved searches. To delete a saved search:

1. From the Main Search Page, click the Saved Searches button located below the Search History.
2. To select searches to delete, click on the corresponding checkbox(es) of the desired Temporary or Permanent Search or AutoAlert (SDI).
3. Click the Delete Saved Searches button to permanently remove the saved search.
4. Ovid asks you to confirm that you want to delete the set(s). Click the delete button, again, to delete the search(es).

To help you decide if you want to run, delete, or edit a search, Ovid gives you the option to display the contents of your search. To display the contents of a saved search:

1. From the Main Search Page, click the Saved Searches button located below the Search History.
2. On the Saved Searches Page, click on the Display button next to the desired search to view its contents.

The Saved Search Editor

The Edit Feature, also known as the Saved Search Editor, allows you to edit Temporary Saved Searches, Permanent Saved Searches, or AutoAlerts (SDIs). To edit Permanent or Temporary Saved Searches:

1. From the Main Search Page, click the Saved Searches button located below the Search History.
2. On the Saved Searches Page, click on the edit button next to the desired search.
3. The Edit Current Search Page appears.
   
   Edit Current Search Page The Edit Current Search Page includes an Edit Search . . . frame listing the following information for the selected search.
   • Search Name
   • Comments appended to the search
   • The Set Number and Search Statement(s)
4. Edit the Search Name or Comments by clicking in the text box and making the desired changes.
5. To edit a search statement, click on the options to Insert, Edit, or Delete option for that statement. A description of each option is as follows:

   Insert
   The insert option allows you to add search statements to a search. To do so:

   1. From the Saved Searches Page, click on the edit button next to the desired search.
   2. The Edit Current Search Page appears. Click on the arrow at the point you want to insert the search statement.
   3. Ovid displays a new screen that includes your search and an empty text box in which you can insert a new search statement. Click in the text box and add the desired statement (for example, "1 and 2", to combine two searches using the Boolean Operator AND).
   4. Click the Submit button to apply the search statement to the search.
   5. Click the Save Search button to save the search.

      Note: The first search statement has two arrows that point above and below it. You can choose to insert new search statements in either the first or the second position.

   The Edit option allows you to edit existing search statements. To edit a search statement:

   1. From the Saved Searches Page, click on the edit button next to the desired search.
   2. The Edit Current Search Page appears. Click the edit button next to the search set you want to edit.
   3. Ovid displays a new page listing the contents of your search set. Click in the text box and make the desired changes.
   4. Click the Submit button to apply the changes to the search.
   5. Ovid displays a page allowing you to view the contents of your edited search. If you are satisfied with the search, click the Saved Search button to save the changes.

      Ovid saves your changes and returns you to the Saved Searches page. Here you can test your new search using the Run Searches feature (see above).

   The Delete feature of the Saved Search Editor allows you to delete individual search statements from a search. To delete a search statement from a search:

   1. From the Saved Searches Page, click on the edit button next to the desired search.
   2. Ovid displays the Edit Current Search Page, listing the contents of your search. Click the delete button next to the search statement you want to delete.
   3. Ovid removes the search statement from the search. If you choose to delete a search statement upon which other search statements are dependent (for example, limits) Ovid displays a page that alerts you that "The command will also purge the selected dependent sets." To delete the Search Statement with all its dependent sets, click the Delete button again. Or, click the Cancel Delete button to cancel the delete command.

The Saved Search Editor allows you to edit AutoAlerts in addition to Permanent and Temporary Saved Searches. When editing AutoAlerts, you edit the Search Name, Comments, and search statement(s) as you do Permanent or Temporary Saved Searches. However, you can also edit a number of other fields directly from the Edit Current Search Page. These fields are:

• Recipient's email address—to change the email address(es) to which the AutoAlert is sent.
• Email Subject—to change the message on the subject line of the email.
• Include Strategy—to change whether or not the search strategy is included with the AutoAlert.
• Fields—to change the fields included on the citation display of retrieved records.
• Citation Format—to change the format of retrieved records. Your choices are Ovid, BRS/Tagged, or Reprint/Medlars.
• Sort—to specify by which fields to sort.

Map

Note: If the database you are searching does not have a controlled indexing language, Ovid defaults to subject searching. Although Ovid disables mapping during Multifile database searches, a Thesaurus or Tree tool is still available.
 

For more detailed information about the functions of Mapping, see the section below entitled Mapping.

Request More Information

Logoff

Help

Mapping

Ovid's Mapping process uses a statistical algorithm to match your search term with the controlled vocabulary of a database. This process results in a list of subject headings that are commonly associated with the search term entered. Ovid presents the top ten of these upon the criteria of the algorithm, listing the best statistical match first. Click the checkbox next to vocabulary terms to search them.
To learn more about a subject heading, click the yellow information icon  at the far right to view the subject heading Scope Note. Ovid presents a Scope Note Display page, which contains:

• a definition of the subject heading,
• the date of its entry to the controlled vocabulary of the database,
• a history of prior indexing of the concept, and
• pharmacological actions.

The next step in the Mapping process is the Explode function.  Ovid's Explode function allows you to take advantage of the hierarchical structure of a database's conceptual content. To do so, select the Explode box of a desired term and retrieve citations that contain the selected term in combination with all of its narrower, more specific terms. In databases with a Tree, Explode retrieves all documents containing the term selected and any of the terms lower than the selected term in the hierarchy of the Tree.  Results from an Explode represent the number of documents containing the term as a subject heading, regardless of whether that heading is a focus of the article, or whether it appears in combination with a subheading. Unlike other steps in the Mapping process, Explode works in one step; Ovid immediately posts the term you enter to the Main Search Page. Use the Explode feature whenever you want to retrieve the most comprehensive information for your search.

Note: Database publishers index documents using the most specific terms of their industry. So, while the index term "heart" might contain the narrower term "myocardial infarction," the term "myocardial infarction" might not necessarily contain "heart" as a narrower term. Therefore, choose terms to Explode carefully.
 

The next step in the Mapping process (if you have not Exploded a term) is the Focus function. Select the Focus box to restrict your search to those documents in which your subject heading is considered the major point (focus) of the article. If your search term does not map to a subject heading, or if you do not see a subject heading you want to apply to your search, select the Search as Keyword box to perform a keyword search in the default fields of the database (see the database's Field Guide for a list of default fields).
 

Note: If you select more than one term, Ovid defaults to combining them with the Boolean operator OR. To combine using AND, select AND from the pulldown menu provided at the top of the page.

Subheadings tend to be general concepts (such as "etiology" or "toxicology") that, when linked to subject headings, allow you to select specific aspects of a subject heading for further consideration. Use subheadings to better qualify your search, as in heart diseases/dt (drug therapy) or seizure/ci (chemically induced). Subheadings also add relationships to a subject heading for a more refined, conceptual accuracy, as in aspirin/tu (therapeutic use) or cocaine/ae (adverse effects). Notice the two-letter, subheading labels used in these examples; using these, you can enter an indexed subject heading and subheading(s) directly from the command line.

Make your final selections from the Subheadings list and click the Continue button. Ovid processes your selections and posts results to the Main Search Page.
 

Remember, subheadings apply only to valid terms of a database's controlled vocabulary (such as the MeSH terms in MEDLINE).

Note: Ovid bypasses Mapping under any one of the following conditions:

• If you enter a search term that is a valid Subject Heading, Ovid takes you directly to the Subject Heading Display page.
• If you enter a term that is a valid database checktag (like child, human, or adult from the MEDLINE database), Ovid posts it directly to the Search History window because it applies so widely among documents. From the Main Search Page, you can refine it further.
• If you enter a search term that is a "See Term" for a valid database subject heading (like AIDS for the valid subject heading Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), Ovid equates the See Term with your query term and includes its corresponding documents in your results.
• If you enter a search term that is a single-word, valid MeSH term (such as eye), Ovid displays a Permuted Index.
• If you qualify a word or phrase, as in aspartame.ti., for which Ovid retrieves documents with the word "aspartame" in the title (for further details about Postqualification, see "Postqualification" under "Advanced Searching Techniques.")
• Ovid does not offer the Mapping feature in all databases. In databases for which Mapping is not available, Ovid searches verbatim for the keyword or phrase you enter on the command line. In most of these databases, the query fields to which Ovid defaults include the title, abstract, identifiers, and subject headings. See the database Field Guides for information about mapping availability and database default fields.
• At any point during your search, un-check the Map Term to Subject Heading box to disable the Mapping feature. Ovid then searches verbatim for the keyword or phrase you enter on the command line.

Displaying and Outputting Search Results

Titles Display

• your search strategy,
• the number of citations retrieved, and
• the range of currently displayed items (for example, 1-10, 11-20, and so on).

Return to the Titles Display by clicking the Titles button. In addition, the following features also are available from the Titles Display page:

Customize and Reset Display

Click Reset Display tab to undo customization and return to Ovid's default Titles Display (a standard citation format that includes Title, Author, and Source fields).

Selection Checkboxes

Note: In order for the Selection feature to operate properly, use only the navigational buttons provided in the Ovid interface itself. Do not use your Web browser's Back and Forward buttons. Viewing full text graphics, Field Guides, or help documents are the only exceptions to this rule.

WebLinks

The flexibility of Ovid's WebLinks feature serves a variety of purposes, including:

Catalog Holdings     When available, click this WebLink to check holdings information for a particular citation on your site's Online Public Access Catalogs (OPAC) system while remaining within an Ovid search session.
Remote Full Text (HTML)      When available, click this Weblink to jump to full text on other sites or to images for databases like Derwent (GIF images) and CINAHL (PDF images).

Note: WebLinks must be set up by your System Administrator.

Navigational Aids

Note: The Next Citation(s) and Previous Citation(s) buttons also appear above the Citation Manager and at the top of Titles Display pages, allowing you to page through the list of citations in groups of 10. If your set contains fewer than 10 citations, these buttons do not appear.

Search Links in a Citation Display

Citation Manager

Note: Although anything on your screen can be printed with the print function of your Web browser, you achieve cleaner, better formatted printouts using the Citation Manager. When specifying options from within the Citation Manager, work from left to right.

Citations Column

Fields Column

Action Column

• Windows Style Linefeeds,
• Macintosh Style Linefeeds, or
• Unix Style Linefeeds.

Note: Using the Citation Manager is the best way to import search results into a word processing or bibliographic software application.

Document Ordering

1. From the Titles Display page, select the checkboxes of citations for which you want to order the full text document.
2. Click the Order button in the Action column of the Citation Manager.
3. Then, Ovid presents a three part order-form process:
   • On the first order form screen that appears, fill out all pertinent information, such as name, address, and order source. In addition (if your site has enabled these features), you can save your personal profile for future online sessions and request that a copy of your order be sent to an email address that you indicate. Note: Order sources available may include your institution's library or a commercial order source (if your institution has made such arrangements with a commercial source). Ovid is not the document order source.
   • In the second form that appears (usually configured for delivery and billing information), provide all requested information. From this page, you also have the option to de-select any documents chosen on the Titles Display Screen. Then click the Order Item button. Ovid prepares to send your order to the designated order source, and presents you with the third step of the ordering process.
   • To complete your order, you must view the copyright statement that appears on the Verification/Copyright Page. Click the I Accept button, and Ovid displays an order confirmation message.

Added Features of the Advanced Mode Citation Manager

In the Advanced Mode interface, Ovid provides a Citation Format Column to customize further the appearance of your citations. Select from the following formats:

• Ovid Format     This is the most readable, user-friendly format because its field names are spelled out completely, as in:

Unique Identifier
92158846
Title
Cluster headache syndrome. Ways to abort or ward off attacks. [Review]
Authors
Marks DR.Rapoport AM.

• Reprint/Medlars Format     If you want to import citations into reference management software such as Endnote, ProCite, Reference Manger, and so on, then select either the Reprint format (below) or the BRS/Tagged format (that follows).

UI - 92158846
TI - Cluster headache syndrome. Ways to abort or ward off attacks. [Review]
AU - Marks DR. RapoportAM.

• BRS/Tagged Format     Use the BRS-tagged format to import citations into reference management software such as Endnote, ProCite, Reference Manger, and so on:

UI 92158846
TI Cluster headache syndrome. Ways to abort or ward off attacks. [Review]
AU Marks DR. Rapoport AM.

• Brief (Titles) Display Format     If you select the Brief (Titles) Display option, you get your citations displayed without field names, much like the basic Titles Display. For example, the following two selected citations appear in Brief (titles) Display format:

<1. Combe H. Lasfargues G. Diot E. Guilmot JL. [Diabetic foot]. [Review] [24 refs] [French] [Journal Article. Review. Review, Tutorial] Annales de Dermatologie et de Venereologie. 126(6-7):536-40, 1999 Jun-Jul.
<2. Domingo E. Verdaguer N.Ochoa WF. Ruiz-Jarabo CM. Sevilla N. Baranowski E. Mateu MG. Fita I. Biochemical and structural studies with neutralizing antibodies raised against foot-and-mouth disease virus. [Review] [40 refs] [Journal Article. Review. Review, Tutorial] Virus Research. 62(2):169-75, 1999 Aug.

• Comma-Separated Format     Comma-separated format appears only in Current Contents databases, and is used to import reference information into reference-management software.

Ovid Web Gateway Full Text

Note: Only Ovid Full Text databases offer additional Full Text features and functions described in this section.  Linking to Remote Full Text by means of OpenLinks or WebLinks will only offer the functionality of the remote host.

Journals@Ovid

The Main Search Page of Ovid's Journals@Ovid Full Text database looks similar to that of any other Ovid database, including the Database Title bar at the top, Search History window, command line, and commonly used limits. However, in Journals@Ovid, the icon bar includes a Browse Journals icon.

Note: In Journals@Ovid, you can view tables of contents for every journal and bibliographic information for every available article.  But you can only view a full text article if your institute subscribes to it through Ovid.

Browse Journals

Click the Table of Contents link to view titles of articles available from a particular issue. At the Table of Contents display, Ovid provides links for Complete Reference of an article, Full Text (when available), and Catalog Holdings (when available). Also, a Citation Manager appears at the bottom of each Table of Contents. Select articles from an issue for printing, saving, emailing, or (when enabled at your site) document ordering.

• About This Journal link--Click to view information about a particular journal, such as journal description, usage statements, and guidelines for authors and submitters.
• a brief listing of subject categories
• number of issues available
• Full Text icon indicating that full text is available to you for this title
• navigational aids throughout, including:
  • First button--click to view the first page of journal titles available
  • Previous button--click to jump to the prior page of journal titles
  • Next button--click to jump to the next page of journal titles
  • Last button--click to view the last page of journal titles available
  • Help link--click to view more information about browsing journals by title name
  • Logoff link--click to end your current search session
  • Browse Journals button--click to return to the Browse Journals page
  • Main Search Page button--click to return to the Main Search Page
  • History bar with Go button--tracks journals, titles and tables of content to which you have browsed, allowing you to return to them at will

Clinical Medicine,

Behavioral and Social Sciences,

Life Sciences,

Nursing, and

Physical Science and Engineering.

Each of these journal subsets are divided into more specific subject categories. Note: Because Journals@Ovid has a large number of journals in the area of internal medicine, the subcategory Internal Medicine is divided into even more specific categories. The subject categories and their respective subcategories are arranged hierarchically, making it easy to distinguish relationship between categories of interest. From this screen:

• click the information icon to the left of a category name and view information from the Subject Category Scope,
• click a Journal List link and go directly to a list of journals within the category specified, or
• click an Issue List link to view a list of all available journal issues within the category specified.

Note: In Journals@Ovid, you can view tables of contents for every journal and bibliographic information for every available article. But you can only view a full text article if your institute subscribes to it through Ovid.

Linking to Full Text Documents from Ovid Bibliographic Databases

When your institute subscribes to Journals@Ovid, you may encounter Ovid Full Text links while searching in Ovid bibliographic databases, such as MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Biosis Previews, AIDSLine, HealthSTAR, ClinPSYC, and Current Contents. Bibliographic links to Full Text documents are available for any full text journals to which your institute subscribes. When links to Full Text documents are available, they appear in title displays, tables of contents, citation displays, and in the reference section of Full Text documents. Click these links to view the corresponding Full Text document.

Browsing Full Text

When you click an Ovid Full Text link, Ovid presents the corresponding full text document formatted to resemble the printed version. Ovid provides many navigational options to assist in your exploration of full text documents. To start, a series of Outline links appears at the top of every Ovid Full Text display, just under a group of navigation buttons. Outline links allow you to jump to various topics within the body of an article, to references that appear at the end of the document, as well as to graphics throughout the text.

Full Text Outline Links

Click on any Outline link to jump to that section of the Ovid Full Text document. View the information you want, then click the up-arrow icon located beside the section header to return to the top of the Full Text display. Navigational buttons at the top of the page can return you to the Main Search Page or to the Titles Display. Other navigational aids allow you to browse Ovid's Full Text in the following ways.

Full Text Navigation Buttons

BROWSE YOUR SEARCH RESULTS--This handy navigational aid allows you to browse Ovid Full Text without having to return to a Titles Display.  When available, click a Browse Your Search Results arrow icon to jump to the Ovid Full Text display of the title preceding or following your present Ovid Full Text document in the Titles Display.
TITLES DISPLAY--To return to the Titles Display of your results set, click the Titles Display icon on the Full Text Display.
MAIN SEARCH PAGE--Click the Main Search Page button at any time to return to the Main Search Page and resume your search.
BROWSE TABLE OF CONTENTS--Click the Table of Contents (TOC) button and browse the table of contents of the issue that contains the Ovid Full Text document. At the Table of Contents display, look for author, title, document type, and pagination just as you would in a printed table of contents. Clicking links provided for each title, you can view an abstract, a complete reference, or Ovid Full Text of any other title in the journal issue. Also, checkboxes appear before each article so you can select those of interest for processing through the Citation Manager (located at the bottom of the Table of Contents display). Other navigational buttons at the top of the Table of Contents display enable you to perform the following tasks.

Table of Contents Display

• View titles from the previous issue of the journal (when available)
• View titles from the next issue of the journal (when available)
• Review a list of journal issues (for that specific journal only). Browse the table of contents of any issue. Note: An "About This Journal" link is available at this page, where you can view journal description, usage statement, instructions for authors (manuscript criteria and submission information). In addition, a History pull-down menu is available at this page
• Return to the Main Search Page and resume your search session

To return to the Ovid Full Text document you were browsing, click the Go button next to the pull-down menu.

Graphics

Within Ovid Full Text articles, graphics appear in context as placeholders or thumbnails (miniaturized images), and act as links to corresponding, full-size graphics.

Graphic Placeholder in a Full Text Document

VIEW A GRAPHIC--Click on a Full Text thumbnail graphic to view its full-size graphic. Use the Back button on your Web browser to return to the Ovid Full Text document.

Note: Links to Help with image viewing appear with every graphic--both thumbnail and full-sized. Click these and view information about graphics from Ovid's Help pages.

PRINT/SAVE A GRAPHIC—To print graphics from an Ovid Full Text article, click the Ovid Full Text thumbnail graphic, then invoke your Web browser’s print function. Tables and charts containing text may appear unclear, incomplete, or cut off when printed from your Web browser in this manner.  To remedy this and provide a solution to users who want to print graphics, Ovid offers a higher resolution image in TIFF format.  You can access the TIFF-formatted image by clicking the Get TIFF link that appears above the graphic in the full-size graphic display.  Then save the file to your hard drive for viewing and printing in another application outside the OvidWeb session.  Or, if your Web browser is configured to associate TIFF images with another application, the application automatically loads and displays the TIFF image in a separate window from which you can invoke the application’s print function.
To save graphics (as non-TIFF images) from an Ovid Full Text article, most Web browsers allow you to position the cursor over a desired graphic and click the right mouse button (or hold down the mouse button on a Macintosh operating system).  Note that graphics within the full text cannot be saved or emailed by using Ovid’s save and email functions–these functions save or email only the text of the article.  To save or email graphics from an Ovid Full Text article, save the TIFF or non-TIFF image file to your hard drive.  From there, you can then email the image as an attached file.

References

Authors usually cite references within the body of their articles. Ovid Full Text converts these references to hypertext links that appear in context, just as footnote or endnote references appear in a printed journal article. Clicking on a Reference link takes you to the References section at the end of a full text document.

Full Text References

Within these references, you can view the bibliographic information and links to other references. Note the different types of links available.

• [Fulltext Link]--Links to other full text documents within the same journal issue or within other journals. To return to your original Full Text document, select the correct link from the pull-down menu (located in the History section) of the Full Text Navigator.
• [MEDLINE Link]--Links to bibliographic references from other databases (here, to MEDLINE, but also: CINAHL [CINAHL Link], PsycINFO [PsycINFO Link], BIOSIS Previews [BIOSIS Link]--and soon to come, Current Contents). Return to your original Full Text document by clicking the Previous Page button provided at the top of each reference display to which you link.
• [Context Link]--A bi-lateral link from the reference cited in the text to the reference in the actual References section of the document. When you are done viewing the reference, click the link provided and return to the body of the text.

These links provide valuable browsing tools that can help you gain insight and perspective into the author's reasoning, follow conceptual tangents, and view complete bibliographic, subject, and full text information of references.

EBMR Full Text

The Ovid Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews database consists of two pieces: Best Evidence (ACP)--a database of full text reviews of articles considered clinically relevant by a rigorous selection process from throughout medical literature--and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (COCH)--full text topic overviews written by experts in all Cochrane Collaboration topic groups. When your site subscribes to one of these online, clinical information databases, you have access to the full text articles and reviews, abstracts, bi-lateral linking between these Ovid Full Text databases and MEDLINE, and comprehensive reference links.

EBMR Journal List Screen

COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS--In this database, a Browse Topics icon appears on the Main Search Page icon bar. Click this icon and the Cochrane Group List Screen appears. Here you can explore the articles in the database by topic, and access information about the individual Collaborative Review Groups.

COCH Group List Screen

Notice that the title of each group is followed by two information links:
Table of Contents    The Table of Contents link allows you to view a list of articles available from a particular Cochrane group. Each article title is accompanied by a Complete Reference link and a Topic Review link.
About this Group     The About this Group link takes you to a screen on which you can review the following useful information: Contact Information, Editorial Information, Sources of Support, Conflicts of Interest, and Search Strategy.

Full Text Navigation Box

Ovid's Full Text Navigation box appears adjacent to the Outline of every Full Text document you display. The Full Text Navigation box allows you to choose the way you display, print, save, or email your Full Text documents. It also facilitates your movement between Full Text options by tracking a history of links you follow and providing links to abstracts and complete references of the Full Text documents you view.

Full Text Navigation Box

Use the Output section of the Full Text Navigation box to prepare your document for printing, emailing, or saving the text of an article. With Full Text Navigation output options, you can view all elements of Full Text documents on your screen, print the text (with or without graphics), email text to any Internet address or save text to an ASCII or HTML file. Click the appropriate button to perform the following output functions through the Full Text Navigator.

PRINT PREVIEW--While displaying the Full Text of a document you want to print, click the Print Preview button. Ovid presents the Print Preview Options Screen. There, choose a size for graphics from the scroll-down menu. Settings include No Figures/Tables (to eliminate all graphics from your printout), Full size (to include graphics at their original size), Medium (Macintosh) which can be selected for medium-sized graphics in your printout (also, this selection is best for Macintosh users), and Small (Thumbnails) which creates place marker-sized graphics. Make your selection and click the Continue button to proceed. Ovid redisplays the document without the Ovid navigational and features buttons. From this cleaner display, invoke your Web browser's print function to print the Full Text document as it now appears on your screen.

EMAIL ARTICLE TEXT--While displaying the Full Text of a document you want to email, click the Email Article Text button. Ovid presents you with an Email Article Screen. Specify a complete email address, enter your own address into the From line, and include a subject and annotations if you so desire. Then click the Send Email button. Ovid emails the article to the address indicated, then shows the status of your email on an Email Confirmation Screen. To send an article to more than one recipient, separate addresses using a comma.

Note: When available, select the checkbox entitled "Save this address," enter an address, and Ovid defaults to this address each time you want to email an article.

SAVE ARTICLE TEXT--While displaying the full text of a document you want to save, click the Save Article Text button. Ovid presents you with a Save Full Text Article Screen. Select a format (ASCII or HTML) from the scroll menu. Choose ASCII Text if you intend to use the document in a word processor, and select the ASCII format (DOS/Windows, Macintosh, or UNIX) most compatible for your operating system. Choose HTML to output the document for offline use by an HTML-compatible program such as your Web browser. Note that many word processors can now open and use HTML files. Once you have made your format selection, click the Continue button, and in the "Save As . . ." Screen that appears, provide a name for the file and target directory.

Note: Ovid does not output graphics with ASCII text or HTML format. To print, save, or email graphics, see the section above, entitled Graphics.

From the Links section of the Full Text navigation box, you can access links to such useful information as abstracts, complete references, and catalog holdings, whenever they are available for the full text document being viewed.

Finally, when you browse links to other full text sources, a History section appears in the Full Text Navigation box. Here, Ovid tracks the titles of all Full Text documents you have linked to and viewed, and enables you to return to them quickly and easily. Select the associated title from the pull-down menu, then click the Go button. Note: For your convenience, History pull-down menus are also located on the Table of Contents Screen, the Issue List Screen, and the Journal List Screen. But note that the history clears each time you return to the Main Search Page.

Multifile and Deduping

The Multifile feature allows you to search multiple databases as if they were one database. While searching in a Multifile database, you can still take advantage of many of the powerful database-specific Ovid features to which you have become accustomed, including vocabulary tools and limits. Ovid's Deduping feature allows removal of duplicates from search sets before viewing, printing, or saving the set.

Note: The Multifile and Deduping features may have been customized to your site's specifications.

Selecting Databases

If Multifile searching has been enabled at your site, the Database Selection Page appears in a tabbed format, as follows.

Select a Database to Search Tab (Database Selection Page)

From this page, click on a blue, hyperlinked database name to start a search.  Or, if you want to run your search session simultaneously in more than one database, click the Select More Than One Database to Search tab to access the following list.

Database Selection Page--Multifile

From this Database Selection Page, select checkboxes to the left of database names you want to include in a multiple database search.  You can select up to five databases for your Multifile database.  Then click the Click to begin search bar.

In addition, you can define a Multifile search by changing databases from the Main Search Page command line and creating a Multifile database with the use command, as in use medl,cpsy,refupd. Ovid changes your session to a Multifile database that includes MEDLINE, ClinPSYC, and Reference Update.

Note: The use command should only be used from the main (Keyword) command line. For example, the command use medl entered on the command line of a Title search generates an error.

Searching a Multifile Database

At the beginning of a Multifile database search, the Main Search Page resembles Ovid's standard Main Search Page.

Multifile Database Main Search Page

But in a Multifile search, the names of the databases you have chosen display at the top of the page (here, ERIC, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts) and the common limits from all selected databases appear. This display reminds you which databases you have chosen for your Multifile search. It also indicates the order in which the databases are searched and displayed, and the default order of Deduping. For example, when you enter a simple keyword search, Ovid searches for your terms in all of the databases in the order indicated at the top of the Main Search Page. Your search terms are applied in all the default fields defined for each of the databases, ensuring that all the appropriate fields are searched. Then Ovid collects the results into one results set.

Note: Mapping is not available in Multifile searches at this time.

Author and Journal Searching

When you search for an author's name or journal title in a Multifile database, the indices of all the databases of the Multifile session are combined. This allows you to make your selections from all index entries from all of the databases in the Multifile search.

Since indexing practices can vary from database to database, know that more than one entry on the Index Display may apply to your search. To improve your results, select any and all entries that might be relevant to your search. The Multifile database author search or the Multifile database journal search provide good examples of this. When you search for the author Margaret Ann Clark in a Multifile database, you might find index entries for "clark m.au," "clark m a.au," as well as "clark margaret.au." To retrieve the most complete search results, select them all.

Using Search Fields

When you click the Search Fields icon at the Main Search Page icon bar, you access the Search Fields/Indexes page. There, all available fields from all the databases of the Multifile database are displayed. To get more information about a particular field, click the Information icon to display the following:

• a list of databases for which the field is available, and
• a description of the field as it is defined for each database.

Even though a field like Abstracts might apply to each database in your Multifile search, the description of the field might differ from database to database.

Applying Limits

When you click the Limit icon on the Main Search Page of your Multifile database, you access the Limit a Search page. There, all the available limits are offered from each of the databases you chose for your Multifile session. To learn more about a particular limit, click the Information icon, and the following information appears:

• a list of databases for which the limit is available, and
• a description of how the limit restricts retrieval for each database.

Once you have chosen limits and run the search, Ovid indicates (in the Search History window at the Main Search Page) any databases for which the limit was invalid and what action was taken with the results from those databases. Generally, when a limit is not valid for a specific database, Ovid retains the records retrieved from that database without applying the limit.

Search History Window with Limit Results

The exception to this rule are terminal limits. Terminal limits are those limits assumed to be relevant to all search results, and that Ovid applies to all databases. Currently, terminal limits include Limit to Full Text and Limit to Latest Update. When you apply a terminal limit to your search, Ovid eliminates all records that do not meet the criteria. In the example here, if you search "injury and depression," apply Limit to Full Text (indicating that you want only Full Text results), and run the search, Ovid indicates that the limit was not valid in the Sociological Abstracts database and that records were retained.

Using Tools

When you click the Tools icon at the Main Search Page of a Multifile database, you can access a display of all tools from all databases of your Multifile session.

When a tool is available in more than one database, an interim page appears requiring that you choose a database for the tool. Some tools (like Scope Notes) give results that are strictly database-specific. You can only view a tool for one database at a time. In order to view the Scope Note for a different database, return to the screen entitled "Choose Database Format--Tools" and select a new database.

With other tools, your database selection indicates to Ovid a preference in database format for that tool. When you choose the Thesaurus, for example, and select a database (like ERIC) at the Choose Database Format page, the tool you chose is specifically the ERIC thesaurus. Once you select a search term from that tool, Ovid applies it across all databases of the Multifile database, finding relevant see terms and main terms.

Reviewing Search Results

When you enter a search in a Multifile session, the resulting Search History window appears. Note the addition of two buttons:

• Details--located in the Search History window, and
• Remove Duplicates--located just under the Search History window (to the right).

Click the Details button to review a display of how many citations came from each database in your Multifile session.

Multifile Database Search History Window--Details Displayed

If you prefer, you can link to records within a specific database by clicking on the name of that database in the Details section of the Search History window. You can also link to database-specific records records by clicking on corresponding links at the beginning of the Titles Display, below the Search History window.

Note: The No Details button allows you to close the Details display.

Deduping

Deduping can be initiated in any Multifile session. When you select a results set for Deduping, Ovid calculates the duplicate results in that set and posts a new results set that has duplicates removed. To remove duplicates from your results set, click the Remove Duplicates button (located right beneath the Search History window). A Remove Duplicates Screen appears from which you can select a set for deduping.

Note: Be sure to select a set that contains 6000 or fewer results.  Attempting to Dedupe a set with greater than 6000 results will yield an error message.  If the set you want to Dedupe is too large, try applying a Limit to reduce the number of results to 6000 or fewer.
 
 

Remove Duplicates Screen

On this screen, you can also change database and field preferences for the Deduping process. This Database Preference function sets the order in which records from the Multifile session are taken as the "preferred duplicate record" in cases where two or more records are duplicates. Your Database Preference reflects the database order displayed on the Main Search Page. In a similar manner, Field Preference settings determine which field is preferred when Ovid retains a record from a set of duplicates. Keep in mind that Ovid's Deduping process applies field preference, then database preference.
 

Command Line Syntax: ..dedup <RecordSetNumber> Dedupes the set number indicated, as in the command ..dedup 1 that automatically eliminates duplicate records from the first results set.

Note: The results set produced by Deduping is dependent upon the original set it Deduped. As such, if the original set is deleted, then the Deduped results set will also be deleted.

Once you have selected a set for Deduping and have specified preferences, click the Continue button. Ovid posts your revised results set to the Search History window. For example, when you enter the command ..dedup 1, your strategy may look like the following.

Multifile Database Search History Window--Duplicates Removed

In the resulting set, Ovid eliminated twenty records in the process of Deduping. Note: The results set produced by Deduping is dependent upon the availability of the original search set (prior to Deduplication). As such, if the original set is deleted, the deduplicated set is also deleted.

If no duplicates were detected, Ovid displays the message, "No duplicates were detected!" If Ovid finds duplicates, it displays a line in the Search History window that indicates the set(s) from which duplicates were removed.

When you click the Details button at the Search History line of the removed records sets, you access a listing of the number of unique records that resulted from the search of each database of your Multifile set. Click a database name and link to a listing within the Titles Display of all records retrieved from that database. Or, click the Display button to review cumulative results from all databases in the Titles display format.

Ovid’s unique Review Duplicates feature allows you to actually view and modify choices the system has made in identifying duplicates.  When you click the Review Duplicates button from the removed records results set, you access a version of the Titles Display that indicates which citations are unique and which are preferred or eliminated duplicates. Ovid re-orders the results to show Preferred and Eliminated duplicate records first, in pairs. These pairs are then followed by the Unique records. Each record shows the database from which it originated and whether the record is a Preferred Duplicate (chosen by the deduping algorithm for the results set), an Eliminated Duplicate (chosen for elimination), or a Unique record that had no duplicate.

Review Duplicates Titles Display

Ovid selects the checkboxes of Preferred and Unique records. Eliminated records are not selected. Use the checkboxes to revise the selection of records. For example, you can select an Eliminated Duplicate for inclusion along with, or instead of, a Preferred Duplicate. Or you may deselect a Preferred record. Use the Next Citations and Previous Citations buttons to navigate through the review of duplicates.

If you make changes, press the Keep Changes button to post a new results set to the Main Search Page. To retain originally selected records without posting a new results set, press the Undo Changes button. Pressing either button performs the indicated task and returns you to the Main Search Page.

Using the Citation Manager

As with a single-database search, the output from your Multifile search is managed using Ovid's Citation Manager (located at the bottom of the Main Search Page and the bottom of certain display pages). If a format is not available in all of the databases of your Multifile search, it does not display in the Citation Manager. For example, the Comma-Separated format is only available for Current Contents databases. If you select CINAHL and Current Contents as part of a Multifile database search, the Comma-Separated format is not displayed as an option.

When you choose the Select Fields option from the Citation Manager, fields from all the databases of your Multifile session are included. Select a field(s) most useful to your search, and Ovid applies them across each of the databases.

You can also use the Citation Manager to sort your results before viewing, printing, or emailing them. Select a primary field on which to sort, or select primary and secondary sort fields. You can also choose to sort each field in ascending or descending order. For example, it might be useful to sort results by Source in ascending order, thus sorting your results by journal name and making it easier to look up several different articles from one journal. You could instead use Year of Publication in descending order, which sorts the results so that they begin with the most recent publications.

Citation Manager--Primary Sort by Year of Publication

If the field has no equivalent in a particular database (for example, the RIE field applies only to ERIC), Ovid ignores the field when displaying citations from that database. Any records that do not have the field indicated appear at the end of sorted results.

Note: Ovid's Document Ordering function is available only if it has been enabled (at your site) in all databases that compose the Multifile database you have chosen.

Advanced Searching Techniques

To this point, we have presented the fundamental Ovid Web Gateway searching techniques--from the simple keyword searches of Basic Mode, to the more in-depth search functions in Advanced Mode. In the section that follows, you can explore some advanced searching techniques that will facilitate your searches and further enhance your results.

Truncation and Wild Cards

Use Truncation and Wild Card characters when the root word of your search term has variations that might prove valuable to your search. When you don't know all suffixes possible for your search term or you want to include all variations of a term in your search, use one of the following.

Unlimited Truncation

Use Unlimited Truncation to retrieve all possible variations on a root word. Type the desired root word or phrase followed by either of the truncation characters $ (dollar sign) or :(colon). For example, the search disease$ retrieves the words "disease," "diseases," "diseased," and so on.

Apply Unlimited Truncation to search for an author directly from the command line (without first selecting the field from the icon bar). To do so, enter the author's last name followed by a space, a dollar sign, and .au. , as in the example: smith $.au..

Note: The space between smith and $ is required. Right truncation, as indicated by the dollar sign ($) at the end of a search statement, tells Ovid that you want to retrieve all citations that contain the truncated term to the left of the dollar sign. If the space had been excluded before the $, Ovid would have retrieved all last names beginning with the root word "smith" in the author index, as in "Smith," "Smithe," "Smithsonian," and so on.

Note: Discriminate carefully between your use of Unlimited Truncation and Right Truncation to avoid retrieving documents with unwanted words. A search like rat$ retrieves documents with the words "rat" and "rats," but also those with "rate," "rationalize," "ratify," and so on.

Limited Truncation

Truncation can be used in conjunction with any digit to specify the maximum number of characters that may follow the root word or phrase of your search. For example, the search dog$1 retrieves documents with the words "dog" and "dogs," but does not retrieve documents with the word "dogma."

Mandated Wild Card

Use the wild card character # (pound sign or hash mark) within or at the end of a query word to substitute for one required character. This can be useful for some plural forms. For example, the search wom#n retrieves documents with the words "woman" and "women." Note that the mandated wild card requires that a character be present. For example, the search dog# retrieves documents with the word "dogs" but not those with the word "dog."

Optional Wild Card

Another wild card character is the ? (question mark). It can be used within or at the end of a query word to substitute for 1 character or no characters. This wild card is useful for retrieving documents with British and American word variants, since it specifies that you want retrieval whether or not an extra character is present. For example, the search colo?r retrieves documents with the words "color" and "colour."

Note: Do not use the ? wild card if there is only one letter in front of the wild card. For example, the search f?etal will result in the warning message, "Invalid truncation syntax."

Query and Set Operators

Operators are reserved words that, when used on the command line, are interpreted by Ovid as search commands. Utilize several operators (OR, AND, NOT, ADJn, and FREQ) to define your command line query more precisely. Keep in mind that Ovid processes operators from left to right, unless this default order is overridden by parentheses. Ovid processes the most deeply nested parenthetical statement first. Specify a precedence of operators by using parentheses in your search statement.

heart attack OR myocardial infarction. This sample search yields documents containing the query terms "heart attack," "myocardial infarction," or both "heart attack" and "myocardial infarction."

By combining two or more results sets using the operator OR, you create a set that includes all documents in all sets without duplication, as in the search: 1 OR 2 OR 3.

blood pressure AND stroke. This sample search yields documents in which the query terms "blood pressure" and "stroke" both appear.

By combining two or more results sets using the operator AND, you create a set that includes only those documents the origi