How to search medical databases: part 1

摘要

Searching the medical literature comprehensively would be impossible today without using bibliographic databases. Many, such as Pubmed/Medline and Embase, attempt to cover all specialties in medicine and health, but many more cover specialist topics such as global health, health economics, evidence-based medicine, etc. Most will be selective about what publications are included, whether it is only journals (PubMed indexes about 5000) or also including other publications such as books, reports, conference proceedings, or theses; other criteria for inclusion may also include whether a journal is peer-reviewed (where each article published has been through a process of impartial assessment by other experts in the field), whether a journal has been established for some time, and the language of publication.