How do you know which database to use? This chart compares PubMed to two other databases that are useful to biomedical engineers: MEDLINE and BIOSOS Previews. To open one of these databases in a new window, click on the name of the platform that hosts it (i.e. to access PubMed click on Entrez).
|
PubMed |
MEDLINE |
BIOSIS Previews |
Coverage |
1950 - present |
1950 - present |
1980 - present |
Frequency |
Updated weekly |
Updated monthly |
Updated weekly |
Platform |
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Distinctive Features |
Access to information and results from clinical trials, and other special studies, acts as expanded version of MEDLINE |
Uses MeSH² with some conversion of vernacular terms |
Specialized indexing for more relevant results |
Included databases |
MEDLINE plus more content such as: PreMEDLINE, PubMedCentral³, OLDMEDLINE, and NIH funded authors. |
MEDLINE, AIDSLINE, BIOETHICSLINE, and HealthSTAR (Health Services Technology, Administration, and Research) |
Biological Abstracts and Biological Abstracts/RRM |
Full text |
Some free full text, plus more full text via Find it @UT |
Indexing only, Some full text via Find it @UT |
Indexing only, some full text via Find it @ UT |
(In order to make the service visible in your search results, you will need to create a free personal account at My NCBI*) |
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Customization |
My NCBI*: save searches, save collection, save bibliography, saves recent activity |
Can be used with EBSCO or ISI platforms which allow personalization of features and saving of searches and citations |
Save searches and RSS feeds through ISI platform |
Types of materials |
U.S. and foreign journal abstracts and some articles |
U.S. and foreign journal abstracts |
Journal abstracts, reports, reviews and meeting and conference proceedings |
Number of Journals |
5,200+ |
5,200 |
6,000 |
Compiling Body |
U.S. National Library of Medicine |
U.S. National Library of Medicine |
Thomson Scientific |
¹US National Library of Medicine
²Medical Subject Headings, very specific vocabulary
³Free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)
*Create a free personal account at My NCBI on PubMed’s Web site. Once you login, you will be on the My NCBI home page. From the left hand menu bar, select "Preferences". Under "PubMed Preferences", select "Outside Tool" and find "University of Texas Libraries: Find it@UT" and save this selection. You will now see the Find it@UT button in your search results within PubMed, but only after you have selected an abstract to view. Direct access to PubMed does not require a UT EID.
