Searching Tips Subject Searching Enter a word or phrase at the Command Line; your entry will be mapped to a Medical Subject Heading (MeSH). Always search subject headings first, not keyword so you can be mapped to the most appropriate term. Search each concept separately. Ovid will create a numbered set for each concept. Combine the sets by using the connector AND or by clicking on the Combine icon. Subject headings are mutually exclusive. Remember to explode broader terms. For example, exp hand retrieves hand, finger, thumb. Always check the year a term began. This information can be found by clicking the information button after the term. For example, the heading heat stroke became a heading in 1996. Before 1996, the heading was heat exhaustion. Use both headings to be comprehensive. Narrowing Topic Restrict to focus (major subject heading). This narrows or limits retrieval and should provide better relevancy. Combine two or more terms. (pneumonia and penicillin) Consider adding subheadings to subject headings (heart diseases/diagnosis) to narrow a topic. Expanding Topic Consider synonyms (kidney or renal) Consider use of the anatomical terms or organisms as well as disease terms (heart or heart diseases). Do not restrict to major subject headings. Do not add subheadings. Look at the subject headings for a relevant citation for clues to other subject headings you can search. Do this by clicking on the Complete Reference link when browsing results. Searching by Keyword Search by keyword if you don’t find an appropriate MeSH heading when searching; this is an option on the Mapping Display Screen. The keyword option is always last on the list. Ovid will search for the word or phrase in the titles and abstracts of the article and post the results as term.mp. Use the truncation symbol : to allow for variations on the word.. Pharmac: will retrieve pharmacy, pharmacology, pharmacologist.