MEDLINE Plus frequently asked questions


8 May 2006

Ordering the full text of articles ID and password problems Saving searches Search skills Search services Courses, training and manuals Computer and web browser problems Macintosh users Reference Management software Contact us Ordering the full text of articles
Our edocs service
If you order articles via MEDLINE Plus and you provide us with a valid membership number (eg 8123456 or INST119) and email address we scan the article from our stock and email it to you within three working days as a PDF attachment. There is no difference in charge. For more information please see the electronic copies section of the library web pages.

How do I get the full text of articles?
MEDLINE is a bibliographic database, it does not contain the full text of articles. The term 'complete reference' applies to the full set of indexing terms. To obtain full copies of articles retrieved from your MEDLINE Plus search please use the BMA Library's document delivery service:
  1. Order items items online from within MEDLINE - go here for more information
  2. Place a separate phone, fax, or email request for the items you need - go here for more information
  3. Use the 'order an article' form on our library pages. By this method you pay by credit card - go here to order an article
For items not held in BMA Library stock use our Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service - go here for more information
How do I check the status of my order?
To check on the status of your request please log in, go to the library area of the BMA website, and select 'order a photocopy' then 'check up on status of your requests'. MEDLINE requests are not added to our system until the following morning (8am) after submission.

How do I find a known paper on MEDLINE Plus?
If you know a few details about a paper but need to verify the reference or read the abstract, the 'Find Citation' tab on the Ovid Main Search Page guides you by providing a form to fill in.

What does 'complete reference' mean?
The term 'complete reference' applies to the full set of indexing terms, not the article itself. To get the entire article, please see the section 'How do I get the full text of articles?'.

Username and password problems
I don't have a website username
If you have not so far registered for members-only or MEDLINE Plus access at all, you may do so by completing the online form on our new users page.

I've forgotten my username and password for the BMA website
It is now possible to access all of the members only features of the BMA website, including the library's MEDLINE Plus service, with a single username and password. This will be your previous username and password for the members only pages of the main BMA website, or if you were previously registered only for MEDLINE Plus, your MEDLINE Plus username and password.

If you need a reminder of your login details please see our password reminder page.

I've forgotten my username and password for the Ovid Gateway Personal Account
You do not need a Ovid Gateway Personal Account to use MEDLINE Plus, but from now on, if you want to save searches on the Ovid system, you will need a Personal Account with your own username and password. Depending on what you choose, this may be different from the username and password for the BMA website. Unfortunately we can't help you with forgotten passwords for the Personal Accounts - but our colleagues at Ovid will be glad to help. Either request a reminder via the system by selecting 'Personal Account' then 'Forgot your?..', or email: support@ovid.com.

The section what has happened to my saved searches? has more details on searches transferred from the previous system.

Saving searches
I've forgotten my ID for the Ovid Gateway Personal Account
Please see our earlier section

What has happened to my saved searches?
In January 2005 we transferred MEDLINE Plus accounts with your saved searches to the new Ovid Gateway. Accessing the service from the BMA website is the same as before, but you need an additional step to log into your own account and see your saved searches. These instructions are for members only, so please read the text on the MEDLINE Plus news page which appears after logging in. If you have saved searches since 7 January 2005 you may not see them on the new system. If this is the case, please let us know and we will retrieve them from our old system. Contact us by email: info.medline@bma.org.uk, or telephone: 020 7383 6582.

What is a Personal Account?
This is for you to save searches on the Ovid system. If you don't want to save, but just search, then you don't need to do anything. If you are saving searches for the first time, you can create a Personal Account with a username and password that you make up yourself. One will have been created for you if you had any saved searches on the old BMA system - see above for how to access those.

Why do I only get two lines of each reference when I save to a file on my disk?
When you open the file in Notepad (the default for text files), check that your word wrapping function is turned on. Select 'edit' then 'Word Wrap'.

Search skills
How do I find a known paper on MEDLINE Plus?
Please see our earlier section

What are new features of the Ovid Gateway?
Ovid changed the way that their web interface looked in response to disability access legislation and user feedback in July 2005. The changes (called the Ovid Gateway Refresh) added two new features:
  • Find Citation - Use this if you only have part of a citation and need to locate the article or full citation for your bibliography.
  • Find Similar - This will will take search 'concepts' from the article title and search for those concepts and related synonyms in other article titles.
What does 'complete reference' mean?
Please see our earlier section

What is the scope of MEDLINE Plus?
MEDLINE Plus incorporates the complete MEDLINE database from 1966, OLDMEDLINE (from 1950 to 1965), and PreMEDLINE - articles yet to have subject headings added. Features include:
  • Daily updates;
  • An online ordering facility for full copies of articles which feeds directly into the library's document delivery service;
  • The ability to print and/or download results locally, to send/receive results by email and to directly export to Reference Management programs;
  • The ability to search selected time periods or the whole database at once;
  • Powerful Ovid search software that maps users' own words to suggested indexing terms (MeSH headings) and associated sub-headings;
  • Our friendly MEDLINE Plus helpdesk (tel: 020 7383 6224) to answer your queries about searching, technical issues and anything else MEDLINE Plus related.
What is the background to MEDLINE?
For more information on the source, coverage and structure of MEDLINE, please see our MEDLINE Plus User Manual (provided as part of the Online Searching course).

Why do references sometimes appear out of publication date order?
MEDLINE results are initially displayed in reverse chronological order of the 'Entrez date' (date they were entered on the system) ie. last in, first out.
Citations are usually added to MEDLINE soon after publication although this is not always the case. In certain circumstances the Entrez date for older citations is noticeably more recent than the publication date.

If required, search results can be sorted by publication date using the Sort Keys feature in MEDLINE Plus. Scroll down to the citation manager box at the bottom of the screen, and in the Sort Keys box select 'Year of Publication'. Check in the Citations box that the range of citations you want to see is correct, then choose 'Display' from the action buttons to the right.

Help and advice
For further help and advice, please contact the MEDLINE Plus help desk.
Tel: 020 7383 6582
email: info.medline@bma.org.uk

Search services
What is your free quick search service?
We search MEDLINE Plus on your behalf, and send you approximately 25 focused citations on your topic. We aim to send you your results well within three working days. Please fill in the web form on our quick search page, or contact us by email at: info.litsearch@bma.org.uk

What is your free update service?
Our weekly update service monthly updates are free of charge. Please fill in the web form on our update service page, or contact us by email at: info.litsearch@bma.org.uk

What is your journal contents (table of contents or Etoc) alerting service?
We subscribe to a service provided by Swets Information Services, who provide over 1800 medical journal titles to choose from. New titles are added daily. You are sent an email each time a new table of contents is received. Please go to the journal contents alerts page to make your selections.

Courses, training and manuals
When is the next BMA Library online searching course?
Book online for basic searching courses and advanced courses hosted here at BMA House. We generally run about 6 full day basic courses and two or three half-day advanced courses a year. For more details follow the basic and advanced course links above, or contact Euphemia Abraham on 020 7383 6136, email: eabraham@bma.org.uk

Can I get telephone or email tuition?
Call the BMA Library MEDLINE Plus helpdesk on 020 7383 6582 during working hours and we will talk you through a simple search. Or email us at info.medline@bma.org.uk and we can send a sample strategy for you to base your own search.

Where is your online manual?
Our MEDLINE Plus course workbook is available in PDF format (51 pages) via the link at the top right hand side of the page. Full of detailed examples and colour screen shots, this complements our MEDLINE Plus searching course but can be studied in isolation. If you would like to purchase a printed copy (in colour and wire bound) please find details on our online searching course page.

I'd just like a reminder of the commands and shortcuts
A colourful quick reference sheet designed for users who just need a reminder of the commands and short cuts. To request a printed colour copy please call or email us at: info.medline@bma.org.uk. Alternatively, print a copy for yourself via the link at the top right of this page [PDF format, 2 pages].

I'd like a quick beginners' guide
Aimed at beginners, this short guide gets you started. Keep it by your computer. If you would like a printed colour copy, please email us at: info.medline@bma.org.uk and we'll be happy to post one to you. Alternatively, print a copy for yourself via the link at the top right of this page [PDF format, 2 pages].

Computer and web browser problems
What is the minimum web browser installation required for the Ovid software?
PC users need to have javascript and cookies enabled and have Internet Explorer 6, Netscape Navigator 7.0 or Mozilla Firefox 1.0 as a minimum installation. More details at http://www.ovid.com/site/support/web_config.jsp. Macintosh users please see your section below.

I'm getting an error message when I click on the 'Continue' link
This could be due to several reasons but the most common solution is to delete your temporary Internet files (empty the cache). These instructions are for Internet Explorer:
  • Click on Tools, Internet Options, then in the Temporary Internet files section select 'delete files'.
  • Then click on 'settings'. Check the 'Check for newer versions' setting is set to 'Automatically'. Click OK.
  • Click OK to get out of that window, and close down Internet Explorer (click the 'X' at the top right of the screen).
  • Open it up again and go to http://www.bma.org.uk afresh (do not use a bookmark). Then try logging on with your details.
I'm using Netscape and when I click on the 'Continue' link nothing happens
Try minimising all your open windows (the minus sign at the top right of your browser screen). The 'MEDLINE Plus' window may have opened behind all the other ones, without showing on the lower status bar.

Why do I only get two lines of each reference when I save to a file on my disk?
Please see our earlier section

Macintosh users
Internet browsers suitable for Macintosh OS X
It has come to our attention that the Ovid software no longer works with the most recent version of Internet Explorer for the Mac OS X. Advice given to us from Ovid technical support is that the browser Apple Safari version 1.2 - download page here does work with the Ovid software but you do need version X of the Mac operating system. Javascript and cookies must be enabled.

Internet browser suitable for Macintosh OS 9
In response to several queries from us on behalf of Mac OS 9 users, Our MEDLINE Plus suppliers Ovid suggest that Mac users install the Internet browser Mozilla 1.2.1: ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mozilla/releases/mozilla1.2.1/mozilla-macos9-1.2.1-full.bin - download this file now. They say that it's not officially supported by Ovid in that they haven't subjected it to their normal rigorous testing, but they understand that it has helped customers elsewhere who experienced a similar problem.

Exporting from a Mac to EndNote 8
One of our Mac users has found that neither the browsers Safari or Explorer work for direct export to EndNote 8 with a Mac. The Firefox browser works fine.

Reference Management software
How do I import MEDLINE Plus references into the Reference Management programs EndNote, Reference Manger or Procite?
  1. After selecting (ticking) the items you wish to save, return to the Main Search page. At the bottom of this you will find the Results Manager box.
  2. The Citations area should have the 'selected citations' button selected.
  3. In the Fields section, select Complete Reference button. Note: this is different to the default setting.
  4. Select Direct Export from the Result Format section.
  5. From the Action column, select Save.
  6. You will be given an option to save in the Reference Management program you have installed on your computer. If you have more than one, options will be given. You can select the database to which you want to export, or create a new one. Please see your Reference Management program manual for details on how to progress from there.
  7. After importing the references check a few records to see that they have imported correctly.
Known problem: EndNote 7 has a bug in the MEDLINE [OVID] filter so that references are imported into the wrong fields. Copy the filter from version 6, which is correct. Alternatively go to the EndNote website and download the Ovid Medline filter - select Ovid as the supplier, MEDLINE the database and the 'FTP' link, or email us at: info.medline@bma.org.uk and we will email you the correct file.

Known problem: There is a bug in the Ovidweb filter for Reference Manager 9.5 or 10, so that the source field is not parsed correctly. Please contact us for the corrected filter called ovidweb.cap, which can be copied into your Program Files > Reference Manager 10 > Filters directory. Alternatively find it on the Ovid Knowledge Base, solution 2444.

These guidelines are for recent versions of the software. If you have a query about an earlier version of these programs or any other reference management products please contact us.

For further details about EndNote, Reference Manager or ProCite contact:

Adept Scientific plc
Amor Way
Letchworth
Herts
SG6 1ZA.
tel: 01462 480055
email:info@adeptscience.co.uk
website: http://www.adeptscience.co.uk

What is the difference between different reference management software packages?
Adept Scientific provides a comparison between Reference Manager, ProCite, and EndNote: http://www.adeptscience.co.uk/products/refman/procite/chart.html

Francesco Dell'Orso of the University of Perugia has produced a head-to-head comparison between the three products above, plus Papyrus, Library Master and Bookends: http://www.burioni.it/forum/ors-bfs.htm

Maggie Shapland from Bristol University compared Papyrus, ProCite, Reference Manager, EndNote, Citation, GetARef, Biblioscape, Library Master, Bibliographica, Scribe and Refs in 1999:
http://www.cse.bris.ac.uk/~ccmjs/rmeval99.htm

She has also evaluated the Internet-based WriteNote and RefWorks .

Contact us
For further help and advice, please contact the MEDLINE Plus help desk.
Tel: 020 7383 6582
email: info.medline@bma.org.uk

© British Medical Association 2008

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