Guide to Ovid Databases (Graphic Interface)

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An online tutorial of this interface is available on the Ovid Website. Please refer to this link: www.ovid.com/site/help/ovid_tutorials.jsp

What Is Ovid?

Ovid is a collection of databases which provides a single search interface allowing you to search one or multiple databases. To access Ovid databases, select the title from the list of UMKC databases or from the Choose a Database section of the Ovid Website. Some of the databases that Ovid will search are:

• Biological Abstracts
• Books@Ovid
• CINAHL
• Current Contents
• EBM Reviews - ACP Journal Club
• EBM Reviews - Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
• EBM Reviews - Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
• EBM Reviews - Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects
• Ei Compendex Plus
• HealthSTAR
• INSPEC
• Journals@Ovid
• Lancet Archive
• Lippincott Williams & Wilkins High Impact Collection
• MEDLINE
• MEDLINE Daily Update
• MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations
• PsycINFO

Searching

Once you are in a database from the Reference Web Menu, you may search as many databases as needed at the same time by clicking on the "change a database" icon at the top of the screen. Select the database(s) by clicking on the provided box next to the database name.

Searching defaults to Advanced Keyword searching. You can select the Basic Search if needed. You may limit your query by publication year(s), latest update, language (usually English), full text (if available), and review. The more specialized databases, such as MEDLINE or PsycINFO, may have additional limits specific to their subject matter. If you wish to switch to search a specific field, select the icon at the top of the screen.

Specific Field Searching allows you to do a keyword search or to find search terms in specific fields such as the author, title, or journal name. Click on the image near the center of the screen for the specific field to search, then type search terms in the command box.

Combine allows you to narrow or broaden search. Type words in the command box or use set numbers if you wish to incorporate previous searches.

And - narrows a search because it requires that more than one term be present in record.

Or - broadens a search because it finds records with related terms.

Not - limits search by excluding certain terms from records retrieved.

Adjacency - specifies a maximum number of words between search terms.

Truncating Search Terms

Use this function to find multiple forms of a word. After typing a word root, use $ to replace multiple letters, ? to replace zero or one letter, or # to replace exactly one letter.

• To find records with: library, librarian, libraries, librarians, librarianship, type: librar$
  
• To find records with: library, librarian, libraries, not librarians, librarianship, type: librar???
  
• To find records with:woman, women, womyn, type: wom#n

Limiting Searches

Choose from the selection of options offered below the search box. After a search is performed, additional limit options may be available. Results will match certain criteria such as publication year, publication type, language, geographic region, organization type, or full-text if available.

Viewing Records

Results will be displayed in brief citation format. Use the "Abstract" link to see a brief summary of the item, if available. Select the link for "Complete Reference" to see more information for an individual item and full-text, if available.

To locate a copy of the document you are looking for, either electronically or in print, please note the name, year, issue and page number(s) of the document. Use the "Library Holdings" link to perform a journal search in the MERLIN Library Catalog. This will tell you if we have the journal or book in the University Libraries system.

To check to see if the item is available electronically in full text, use the "Search for full-text" link, if available. Depending upon your browser settings, either a Ovid screen will load with a link to the SerialSolutions database via the "click this link to open new document" link, or a new window will open with the SerialSolutions database. Enter the name of the journal you are looking for at this point in the box in the section labeled "Find electronic journals by journal title."

Items not available in full-text in the database may still be available in print at a UMKC library. If you need help at this point, please contact a librarian.

If you are interested in finding similar articles to one found in the results list, select the "Find Similar" link. A new search will be performed using the criteria from the original article. "Finding Citing Articles" to view a list of articles that have cited that particular article will be listed.

Use the mouse to select one or more records to view. Move to the bottom of the Titles Display page to choose the fields to display, email, or save. Note: When marking records, use the "Next Results" link at the top and/or bottom of the Ovid page, not the Web browser. (On pages other than the first, your options will be "Previous Result" or "Next Result".) This will help prevent marked records from being lost.

Emailing Records

After selecting the desired record(s) in the list of results, move to the bottom of the page and select "Email."

Saving Records

After selecting the desired records in the list of results, move to the bottom of the page and select "Save." A "Save Results" page should appear and you will make a linefeed choice. (You can also select to include your search strategy.) The default for the linefeed is for Windows and unless you are on working with a Mac or Unix based computer, press the "CONTINUE >>" button. A notepad window will open with your selected items. Select the File button at the top of the new window and save your record(s) with the "Save As" option. If you are using a personal computer, save as you would normally. If you are using a University Libraries computer you can save to your personal account or to a disc at this point. (Please do not save to the hard drive of a University Libraries computer as the record will not travel with you and will be deleted at the end of the day. )

Printing Records

After selecting the desired records in the list of results, move to the bottom of the page and select "Display." After your records have been displayed in a print-ready list, use either the "Print" command from the File menu of your Web browser or click on the Print icon of your Web-browser.
Note: It is important to first click on the "Display" button under the Actions heading in the Results Manager if you wish to print only certain articles from your list of results. Omitting this step and going directly to your Web browser to print results will ignore your selections and print your entire list of articles.

Personal Accounts

Ovid's Personal Accounts let you create and maintain a private workspace for your saved search strategies and AutoAlerts. Through this service, you can maintain a personal account secured by a name and password that you determine. From the Main Search Page, create or access a personal account by clicking the "Personal Account (for Searches)" link located in the top blue bar on any search page. At this point you either create a new account, ask for a new password or enter Personal Account Name and Password.

To create a personal account, select the link and provide a Personal Account Name, a Password, and an E-mail Address. (The e-mail address does not need to be a UMKC e-mail account address.) Once this information is entered, the account is created. Return to Main Search Page via the link at the top of the page.

Saving Searches/AutoAlert

Ovid's Save Search/Alert function allows you to store search sets created during any search session, log off and return at a later time without having to retype each search set manually. Use the Save Search History function when you want to:

• Re-run the search after the database has been updated so that you can retrieve the latest documents on your topic,
• Step away from your computer and do not want to lose your search history if you exceed Ovid's idle-time limit, or
• Exit your Ovid session to work in other applications, but want to log in again later and pick up where you left off.

To save a search history, click the "Save Search/Alert" link at the bottom of the Search History grid. A screen will appear that will have entry boxes for a "Search Name", "Comment", and "Type". Via the drop down menu, there are three types of saved searches. The default is "Permanent" which saves your current search strategy permanently. Use this option to save and rerun your search at another time or for as a base strategy from which you can develop more complex strategies. Another type is the "Temporary (24 Hours)" saved search which saves your current search strategy for 24 hours, after which Ovid deletes the search automatically. The last type of saved search is "AutoAlert (SDI)". This allows you to create an automated program that runs the search on a regular basis against the updated database in which the search was created. An e-mail is sent containing updated results to your e-mail recipient(s).

(Searches developed in the Books@Ovid database cannot be save as an AutoAlert at this time.)

To Exit an Ovid database, Click "Logoff."

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If you need further assistance, please contact the Miller Nichols Library Reference Desk, (816) 235-1534, or the Health Sciences Library Reference Desk, (816) 235-1885.