Finding Terms to Describe Subject Content
Printer-friendly Version
NLM's MEDLINE indexers use the MeSH Browser, an online vocabulary look-up aid with virtually complete MeSH records, to find the term that best describes the concept to be indexed. They view the full record: scope note, annotation, See Also terms, etc., for hints on indexing.
Note: Searchers should use the MeSH Database to build a search strategy for PubMed or other Entrez Databases using MeSH vocabulary and to discover helpful information about a MeSH term. Use the MeSH Browser for additional information.
Indexers use the hierarchy to find the most specific MeSH heading.
| Example: |
"The liver disease, chronic hepatitis B" is indexed as:
rather than Liver Diseases or Hepatitis or Hepatitis B |
Indexers use more than one heading if a single heading does not cover the concept (see Coordination).
| Example: |
"Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the ovary" is indexed as:
|
If an exact heading does not exist, indexers use the MeSH Browser and the hierarchy to find the most specific heading available.
| Example: |
"Cranial radiation therapy" is indexed as
which is under the Radiotherapy branch of the MeSH tree |
