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MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) is the NLM controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles for PubMed.
Use the MeSH database to find MeSH terms, including Subheadings, Publication Types, Supplementary Concepts and Pharmacological Actions, and then build a PubMed search. The MeSH database can be searched by MeSH term, MeSH Entry Term, Subheading, Publication Type, Supplementary Concept, or MeSH Scope Note.
- Year Introduced is the year the term was added to MeSH. If more than one year is shown, the term was available for indexing back to the earliest year noted. Articles are indexed using the vocabulary in place at the time of indexing, therefore, the year introduced for a term and the date of publication of a citation indexed with that term may not agree.
Launch PubMed searches from the MeSH database
The MeSH database includes a built-in tool that will help you assemble a PubMed search from the MeSH subject headings that you find in your search.
To build a MeSH searh for PubMed, follow these steps:
- Run a search in the MeSH database.
- Select terms using the check boxes.
- Click "Add to search builder" in the PubMed search builder portlet.
- You may continue searching and including additional terms to the PubMed search builder using the "Add to search builder" and Boolean pull-down menu.
When you are finished, click "Search PubMed" for your results.
More information about the MeSH database:
- An autocomplete feature is available from the search box.
- Search results are displayed in relevance-ranked order, therefore, when a user’s search exactly matches a MeSH Term, that Term is displayed first.
- Click the MeSH term from the Summary display or choose Full from the display format menu to view additional information and search specifications, such as Subheadings, restrict to Major MeSH Topic, or exclude terms below the term in the MeSH hierarchy.
PubMed User Guide
Access the full PubMed User Guide for additional details: PubMed User Guide