PubMed

What is MeSH?

MeSH stands for the Medical Subject Headings.  These are the "official" terms used by the National Library of Medicine to index items that are added to MEDLINE/PubMed and describe the "aboutness" of the articles.

Subject Headings more generally are the official and agreed-upon terms that a given database will use to describe the items that are in it.  Each database uses its own vocabulary to describe its contents, and so MeSH is specific to MEDLINE/PubMed.

How can I search in MeSH to find terms?

You can access the MeSH Database to search for potential search terms by using the link on the PubMed homepage under Explore.

How can I use MeSH in my search?

You can include appropriate MeSH terms in your search as synonyms for your different concept keywords.

For example, if you are interested in the concept of reflexology, you could include the preferred MeSH term of Musculoskeletal Manipulations as a synonym to help capture any articles that might not use the term reflexology:

(reflexology OR musculoskeletal manipulations)

By including both keywords and subject headings in your search strategy, you will create a stronger and more comprehensive search.

Within each MeSH record, there are many different sections or fields that you might find useful to look at, such as:

• Term & Scope Note: This is at the top of the record and will tell you what the preferred MeSH term is, as well as provide a definition of how it is used in this resource.
• Year Introduced: This will tell you when a particular term was added to the MeSH vocabulary.  MeSH is updated once a year to reflect changes in the medical literature and terminology.  From this field, you can tell if something is a newer or older term.
• Subheadings: These are all the different subheadings that could potentially be combined with this particular MeSH term.
• Entry Terms: These are what MeSH considers to be a synonym for the MeSH term.  These can be a useful place to find other keyword synonyms to try.  These also play an important role in the Automatic Term Mapping process.  Check out the page on Automatic Term Mapping for more information about how this process works.
• See Also: This field provides links to other MeSH terms that might be somewhat related and you may want to consider for your search as well.
• Previous Indexing: If articles on a given concept used to be indexed with a different term, you might see an alternative term listed here.  This is especially important for newer terms to help find older or historical literature.
• MeSH Hierarchy/Tree: MeSH is organized into a tree structure and moves from least specific to most specific.  You can explore the branch that a given term is in by clicking on the links in the MeSH Tree to find the best term(s) for your search.  It is also important to note if a lot of other terms are underneath your term in the MeSH Hierarchy, as this can impact how the MeSH Explosion works.  Check out the page on Automatic Explosion for more information about how this process works.