2.4.a Look for MeSH Keywords

Articles are indexed in PubMed using a standardized vocabulary, called Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).
The MeSH Database on PubMed homepage provides the option of identifying appropriate MeSH terms for searches.

 

This strong feature allows automatically linking the MeSH and the Subheadings.

Examples would be: 'bad breath' links to (and includes in the search) 'Halitosis'; 'Writers cramp' to 'focal dystonia'; 'breast cancer' to 'breast neoplasms'. Where appropriate, these MeSH terms are automatically 'expanded'.

This makes PubMed searches automatically more sensitive and avoids missed hits by compensating for the diversity of medical terminology.

You can add all your MeSH terms into a “search box”, connect them using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and search in PubMed once you have finished your search strategy.