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PubMed

PubMed Record

In addition to the traditional Title and Abstract information, the PubMed Record contains a lot of different fields.

  1. PMID & DOI
    • The PMID stands for the PubMed ID and is a unique numerical identifier that can be used to search in PubMed.  If you put this number into the search box, PubMed will bring you directly back to this article.
    • DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier.  This is a special number unique to this article, but the DOI stays with the article and is the same no matter what database or resource you are viewing the article through.
    • Sometimes you will also see a PMCID in this area.  This is an ID number for articles that also appear in PMC (PubMed Central).
  2. Full Text Links
    • You may see several buttons in this section.
    • As long as you are accessing PubMed through the OSU HSL, you should always see the Find It! @OSU link.  This is usually your best bet to find full text, and this tool connects to the OSU Libraries subsriptions.
    • You will also usually see an option for the publisher of the journal (such as Springer or NEJM).  Some journals may automatically recognize your OSU affiliation and let you access articles with this link as well.  However, some journals may not recognize you and ask you to pay.  You should never have to pay for an article.  Contact the library if you run into problems.
    • For articles that are freely available in PMC, you may also see a link to this resource.  All articles in PMC are free and open access, so this option should work easily as well.
  3. Cite
    • If you click the Cite button, you will see a pop-up window with a quick auto-formatted citation, which you can copy and paste into your References.
    • Make sure to select the reference style you are using in your paper.
  4. Permanent Link
    • If you click on the paperclip icon, you will see a permanent link that you can copy and save.  This link is persistent and will bring you directly back to this record if you put it into your browser address bar.

PubMed Record Page Navigation

Using the Page Navigation on the right-side of the record, you can also quickly access the following PubMed Record Fields:

  1. Similar Articles
    • Using PubMed's algorithms, the Similar Articles field will display up to 5 articles that the system thinks you may also find interesting.
    • Click on See All Similar Articles to see a full list of similar research
  2. Cited By
    • The Cited By field will display up to 5 PMC articles that have cited this particular article in their bibliography.
    • Click on See All Citing Articles to see a full list of PMC articles that have cited the item
    • This field is only a list of articles that appear in PMC which cite the item, not a list of all articles that cite the item.  For a more complete Cited By list, try using either Scopus or Web of Science to view a Citation Report.
  3. MeSH Terms
    • Towards the bottom of the page you will see the MeSH Terms that have been applied to describe the "aboutness" of the article.
    • It can be very helpful to look at the MeSH Terms applied to a relevant article to get ideas for other terms to try.
    • You can click on any of the MeSH Terms listed to either run a new search for just that term, or look up the term in the MeSH database to learn more.
    • Tip: Use the right-click feature when looking up a MeSH Term to open it up in a new tab or window.  This will help you not lose your place in your PubMed search.