Gilbertson, S.; Aldridge, D.(2003) Strategies for searching electronic databases. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. IV (4) Sept. 2003 available at http://musictherapytoday.net
this window. Additional information is given on this page about how PubMed has understood your search query, the number of results found and the name of the database(s) searched. It is always advisable to use both the opening search screen and the ‘DETAILS’ search screen to monitor you actions. The search must be started with the opening screen. It is possible to refine your search in both windows. The following sections will initially describe the major search functions offered in PubMed and then go on to describe how the search strategy can be refined using further search commands (Search fields descriptions). MESH: MEDICAL SUBJECT HEADINGS
The MeSH system is a hierarchical headings system used to categorise references. The use of this categorisation assists the indexing and retrieval process. Furthermore the MeSH terms aim at assisting the user to find references to literature that uses synonyms or alternative terminology. However, various providers of access to MEDLINE map nonMeSH terms to the MeSH terms differently. Thus the MeSH searches carried out with one provider will produce significantly different results than another (Gault 2002).The examples that we will be using here have been made using the PubMed access to MEDLINE. The term ‘music therapy’ can be found in three different MeSH categories. The sub-headings of the three categories are: ‘sensory art therapies’, ‘rehabilitation’, and ‘psychotherapies’. All MeSH CategoriesCategory 1 Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques Category Therapeutics
Strategies for searching electronic databases
15