How PubMed Works

PubMed® comprises more than 38 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. 
How PubMed Works walks through all parts of the PubMed interface.

How PubMed Works is a series of four 90-minute presentations. Each class is eligible for 1.5 MLA CE credits. The individual classes are:

  1. How PubMed Works: Introduction
  2. How PubMed Works: Selection
  3. How PubMed Works: MeSH (Medical Subject Headings)
  4. How PubMed Works: ATM (Automatic Term Mapping)

You can also access past recordings for national classes on the NNLM YouTube Channel.

The How PubMed Works series addresses increasing health information access and use by highlighting information about the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed bibliographic database. 

Objectives

How PubMed Works: Introduction

  • Understand what PubMed is and what's in it.
  • Find the original research that is the basis for a news article.
  • Find articles by a specific author.
  • Search for articles on a specific subject.
  • Narrow search results to a more specific subset
  • Explore Advanced Search Builder and Search History.

How PubMed Works: Selection

  • Describe some issues and concerns surrounding the current publishing landscape.
  • Articulate NLM responsibilities and practices in collecting and providing access to the biomedical literature.
  • Explain what is referenced in the PubMed database.
  • Describe the selection criteria for the different components of the PubMed database.
  • Find additional resources for authors and librarians on assessing publication quality.

How PubMed Works: MeSH (Medical Subject Headings)

  • Explore the MeSH Database
  • Describe a Controlled Vocabulary
  • Explore the four types of MeSH Terms
  • Locate and explain entry terms, date introduced, previous indexing, automatic explosion

How PubMed Works: ATM (Automatic Term Mapping)

  • Describe the contents of the 3 Translation Tables.
  • Explain the order of ATM
  • Analyze Search Details to verify term mapping.
  • Locate PubMed's list of indexed phrases
  • Describe 3 Ways to bypass ATM
Class Materials and Resources
How PubMed Works YouTube Playlist

Continuing Education

Each 90-minute session in this PubMed series has been approved for 1.5 Medical Library Association (MLA) continuing education credits.

Class Owner(s)

Contact the NNLM Training Office for more information.

Class Instructor(s)

Molly Knapp, Training Development Manager, NTO
Catherine Staley, Trainer, UEP
Erica Lake, Health Sciences Librarians Outreach Specialist, Region 6
Rebecca Brown, Training Development Manager, NTO

Classes

Event Title Event Start Date Summary Continuing Education Credits CE Categories Is Online Registration
How PubMed Works: Introduction This 90-minute introduction session provides overviews about:

What PubMed is and what's in it.
Finding the original research that is the basis for a news article.
Finding articles by a specific author.
Searching for articles on a specific subject.
Narrowing search results to a more specific subset
Exploring the Advanced Search Builder and Search History. 		1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) The How PubMed Works: MeSH session addresses increasing health information access and use by highlighting information about the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed bibliographic database. 1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: Automatic Term Mapping (ATM) The How PubMed Works: Automatic Term Mapping session addresses increasing health information access and use by highlighting information about the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed bibliographic database. 1.50 MLA On
Event Title Event Start Date Summary Continuing Education Credits CE Categories Is Online Registration
How PubMed Works: Automatic Term Mapping This 90-minute class about PubMed's Automatic Term Mapping (ATM) takes an in-depth look at the contents of the 3 translation tables used to process and map your search terms. 1.50 MLA On
Cancelled. How PubMed Works: MeSH This 90-minute MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) class explores the vocabulary underlying the PubMed database. 1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: Selection This 90-minute class covers issues and concerns surrounding the current publishing landscape; the selection criteria for the different components of the PubMed database and NLM responsibilities and practices in collecting and providing access to the biomedical literature. MEDLINE and PMC staff will be available to answer audience questions. 1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: Introduction This 90-minute introduction session provides overviews about:

What PubMed is and what's in it.
Finding the original research that is the basis for a news article.
Finding articles by a specific author.
Searching for articles on a specific subject.
Narrowing search results to a more specific subset
Exploring the Advanced Search Builder and Search History. 		1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: ATM This 90-minute class about PubMed's Automatic Term Mapping (ATM) takes an in-depth look at the contents of the 3 translation tables used to process and map your search terms. 1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: MeSH This 90-minute MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) class explores the vocabulary underlying the PubMed database. 1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: Selection This 90-minute class covers issues and concerns surrounding the current publishing landscape; the selection criteria for the different components of the PubMed database and NLM responsibilities and practices in collecting and providing access to the biomedical literature. MEDLINE and PMC staff will be available to answer audience questions. 1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: Introduction This 90-minute introduction session provides overviews about:

What PubMed is and what's in it.
Finding the original research that is the basis for a news article.
Finding articles by a specific author.
Searching for articles on a specific subject.
Narrowing search results to a more specific subset
Exploring the Advanced Search Builder and Search History. 		1.50 MLA On
How PubMed Works: ATM This 90-minute class about PubMed's Automatic Term Mapping (ATM) takes an in-depth look at the contents of the 3 translation tables used to process and map your search terms. 1.50 MLA On