BMA - Medline frequently asked questions

Help and advice

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.

I've forgotten my ID 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 ID and password. This will be your previous ID 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 ID 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.

I don't have a website ID
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'm getting an error message when I click on the 'Medline' 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 'Medline' 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.

Having problems saving search results using Internet Explorer 5?
When saving your search results using early versions of Internet Explorer 5, if you wish to retain basic formatting you need to follow these steps (otherwise your search results will appear as one long string of text):

1. Use Ovid's "Citation Manager" facility to select the documents you wish to save as normal.
2. Select the

button.
3. A window containing your search results will appear, however they will be unformatted. (* If you find that your results are not displayed, eg. that your browser goes straight ahead with downloading, select the

button instead.)
4. Go to your browser's View menu and select Source.
5. A Notepad window will appear containing your search results properly formatted.
6. Go to Notepad's File menu and select 'Save as' to save the results as a text file, retrievable in any word processing package.

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, please see the known paper section in our MEDLINE Plus user guide.

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 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 and select the 'FTP' link, or email us at: info.medline@bma.org.uk and we will email you the correct file.

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 .

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 full text 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 6224.

What is the background to MEDLINE?
For more information on the source, coverage and structure of MEDLINE, see our user guide section .

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'.

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 6224
email: info.medline@bma.org.uk

� British Medical Association 2008

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