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PubMed at the UW

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I get the Full-Text of an article?

Access PubMed from the Health Sciences Library website to see icons for UW holdings. If no icons appear check the eJournals tab on the HSL website or in the Library Catalog for online or print holdings for the journal. Otherwise current UW students, staff, and faculty can order copies of an article at no charge from UW Document Delivery.


What journals are indexed in PubMed and how are they selected?

The NLM Catalog: Journals referenced in the NCBI Databases allows you to search for journals referenced in NCBI databases, including PubMed. The Fact Sheet on MEDLINE Journal Selection tells you what criteria is used to select a journal for inclusion in the MEDLINE database. Some citations are available through PubMed because they are included in PubMed Central and have NOT been indexed.


Are MEDLINE and PubMed the same thing?

MEDLINE is a subset of PubMed. See the NLM Fact Sheet: What's the Difference Between MEDLINE and PubMed for a list of what is in PubMed beyond MEDLINE citations.


Can I save a search with PubMed?

You can save a PubMed search in your personal MyNCBI account. Click on Create Alert under the PubMed search box containing the search you want to save.& The Health Science Library's MyNCBI guide contains more information on saving searches and using MyNCBI. See PubMed Help for instructions on how to


How do I save searches and citations or create email alerts?

My NCBI is your personal space on the NLM computer system for saving searches to re-run or have mailed as automatic alerts, saving article citations as collections or bibliographies, and setting PubMed preferences. Click on the My NCBI link at the top right of the PubMed window to get started. Register for a free My NCBI account. See the Health Sciences Library's MyNCBI guide for more information. Set Filters/Preferences to display ‘UW Online’ and ‘Check for Full Text’ links to UW library holdings (see Search Filters/Site Preferences tab).


How do I find peer-reviewed articles in PubMed?

Most of the journals indexed in PubMed are peer reviewed, but there is no limiter for peer review. Use Limits to eliminate letters, editorials etc then use Clinical Queries or Topic-Specific Queries (found on the Home page or under More Resources at the top of the Advanced Search page). Most of what is left will be peer reviewed. Alternatively, you can use Journals in NCBI Database (found on the Home page or under More Resources at the top of the Advanced Search page) to look up a specific journal and go to the journal site to to see if it is peer reviewed.


How do I find help?

New PubMed: Help is can be accessed at the bottom of all PubMed screens by clicking on "Support Center". Legacy PubMed: Help links are found at the top of all PubMed screens. For additional assistance, consult with a librarian.


How can I find a complete citation for a single article?

Use Single Citation Matcher. The link is found at the bottom of the Home page and under More Resources at the top of the Advanced Search screen. Lets you fill in known pieces of information about a specific reference in order to retrieve the full citation.


How do I create a link that will display only my PubMed citations?

Follow these instructions to create your own bibliography and make it public. Requires a NCBI account.


Where can I save my citations?

To temporarily save citations, use the Clipboard. The Clipboard acts as a temporary holding file for all citations collected during your online session. Select desired citations and use the Send to link to save to Clipboard. Click on the Clipboard link on the right side of the Results page to retrieve all citations on your Clipboard. Results on the Clipboard will be lost after 8 hours of inactivity. To indefinitely save citations, use Collections. First, ensure that you are logged in to your MyNCBI account. Click on the article to open the article view. Select "Save To" and click on "Collections" in the menu. This will send you to choose which collection you would like to add the article to.


How do I save my search strategy?

Use History. Found on the Advanced Search screen, History holds your search strategies and results from your current search session. You may combine previous searches or add additional terms to an existing search by clicking the search number to display additional options to add the search to the Builder OR using the pound sign (#) before the search number, e.g., #2 AND #6 or #3 AND drug therapy in the Builder boxes.

Important Note: If you are not signed in to your MyNCBI account, your user history will disappear after 8-10 hours or as soon as you close the browser session.


How can I import citations into EndNote Basic on my iPad?

Use the EndNote Basic Online Search function and transfer is easy. We don't usually suggest using the Online Search for other than finding a specific citation but a 2-step process does work. Within PubMed design a search strategy that works well. Once you've developed a strategy put all of the search into a single search statement, test that the search works, copy the strategy into EndNote Basic and run the search. This process is a bit cumbersome so for complicated searches and extensive importing of PubMed citations we suggest that you use a pc.


New PubMed reverts back to the Legacy interface on some tools/functions? Why is this?

New PubMed is the default site as of May 2020. Not all functions and tools of the legacy PubMed will be available in the new PubMed; you may submit feedback and request customer support online.

Legacy PubMed was retired after October 31, 2020, learn more about the transition.