The Research Sidekick: Elevate Your Research through the SOM Library! - LibGuides at University of the Incarnate Word

Browsers are great for these quick, everyday questions.

But when it comes to searching the medical literature to gather everything, when we need to write a detailed review article, it’s a different story. We aren’t just looking for one quick answer anymore. We’re looking for everything on a topic so we can read, analyze, and distill it ourselves into a clear journal article or poster.

That’s where the databases come in.

There is so much new medical literature, and data produced every single day that it’s impossible to keep up with it all on our own. This is why using effective search tools matters. We can use keywords, of course, but we also have something even more powerful: Medical Subject Headings, or MeSH.

MeSH terms act as a controlled vocabulary to help us find everything related to a topic, no matter what words the authors used in their papers. And here’s a helpful tip: you’ll find MeSH terms not only in PubMed but also listed in other databases, helping you link searches across platforms. When used in other databases, they are used as keywords.

So, let’s take a few minutes to learn more about MeSH and how this powerful tool can make your literature searching more precise and efficient.

Here is what the MeSH database looks like inside PubMed.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/

A screenshot of a computer

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a controlled vocabulary thesaurus used by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to index biomedical literature, primarily for PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. It is used for indexing, cataloging, and searching of biomedical and health-related information. MeSH terms are assigned to articles to help users find relevant information even when different words or spellings are used to describe the same concept. Example – myocardial infarction, heart attack, myocardial infarct, and cardiovascular stroke. Or Pediatrics search will bring up articles with Paediatrics in them.

Shows how MeSH can be used - https://www.nlm.n2025ih.gov/oet/ed/pubmed/mesh/mod02/01-200.html

Short training module on MeSH -
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/oet/ed/pubmed/mesh/mod01/01-000.html

Here's why using MeSH is beneficial:

Improved search precision:

MeSH terms provide a standardized and hierarchical vocabulary, reducing the risk of retrieving irrelevant results due to variations in terminology used by authors.

Enhanced recall:

MeSH terms cover synonyms and related concepts, ensuring that articles are retrieved even if they use different words or phrases to describe the same topic.

Facilitates broader and narrower searches:

MeSH is organized in a hierarchical tree structure, allowing users to start with broad terms and narrow their search as needed or start with narrow terms and broaden their search as they go.

Increases citation discoverability:

MeSH indexing helps find relevant articles, even if they lack a detailed abstract or use less descriptive keywords.

Streamlines the search process:

MeSH terms are pre-defined with synonyms and scope notes, saving users the time and effort of manually searching for different variations of a concept.

For example, a search for "Lung Neoplasms" using the MeSH term will retrieve articles discussing lung cancer, lung tumor, lung neoplasm, and pulmonary cancer, regardless of the specific term used by the author.

This PubMed search shows lung neoplasms as a keyword search in the advanced search section of PubMed.

Search: lung neoplasms Sort by: Publication Date

"lung neoplasms"[MeSH Terms] OR ("lung"[All Fields] AND "neoplasms"[All Fields]) OR "lung neoplasms"[All Fields]

Translations

lung neoplasms: "lung neoplasms"[MeSH Terms] OR ("lung"[All Fields] AND "neoplasms"[All Fields]) OR "lung neoplasms"[All Fields]

When you look at the articles retrieved by the search above, you will see keywords such as lung cancer, lung tumor, lung neoplasm, and pulmonary cancer.

Why I use the MeSH database before I start searching:

It defines subject terms I may not be very familiar with.
It helps me see where a subject term fits into the tree hierarchy, which is useful if I don’t know much about the topic.
It provides additional entry terms I can use in PubMed’s keyword box, as well as in other databases that do not recognize MeSH terms directly.
It can help narrow down a large search quickly.
If I’m having trouble finding articles, it can help me broaden my search terms by showing where they sit in the hierarchy.

I don’t usually use the MeSH database itself to run my searches, but I use the information I find there to guide and improve my searches.

Should you wish for me to present this topic, or any other, to your group or to you individually, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would be glad to assist.

Happy Searching!

Dawn Field, Your UIWSOM Librarian

Recent Posts

Why use the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) database in PubMed when searching the scientific literature?

Most of us, myself included search in a browser using just a few words or a phrase to find an answer to a question. And honestly, we’re really good at this. Need directions to the local hospital? Easy. Want to know the price of a specific item? Easy. Looking for where to buy the trendiest new product? Easy. Looking for reviews on something? Easy.Browsers are great for these quick, everyday questions.But when it comes to searching the medical literature to gather everything, when we need to write a detailed review article, it’s a different story. We aren’t just looking for one quick answer anymore. We’re looking for everything on a topic so we can read, analyze, and distill it ourselves into a clear journal article or poster.That’s where the databases come in.There is so much new medical literature, and data produced every single day that it’s impossible to keep up with it all on our own. This is why using effective search tools matters. We can use keywords, of course, but we also have something even more powerful: Medical Subject Headings, or MeSH.MeSH terms act as a controlled vocabulary to help us find everything related to a topic, no matter what words the authors used in their papers. And here’s a helpful tip: you’ll find MeSH terms not only in PubMed but also listed in other databases, helping you link searches across platforms. When used in other databases, they are used as keywords.So, let’s take a few minutes to learn more about MeSH and how this powerful tool can make your literature searching more precise and efficient.Here is what the MeSH database looks like inside PubMed.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/ Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a controlled vocabulary thesaurus used by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to index biomedical literature, primarily for PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. It is used for indexing, cataloging, and searching of biomedical and health-related information. MeSH terms are assigned to articles to help users find relevant information even when different words or spellings are used to describe the same concept. Example – myocardial infarction, heart attack, myocardial infarct, and cardiovascular stroke. Or Pediatrics search will bring up articles with Paediatrics in them.Shows how MeSH can be used - https://www.nlm.n2025ih.gov/oet/ed/pubmed/mesh/mod02/01-200.htmlShort training module on MeSH -https://www.nlm.nih.gov/oet/ed/pubmed/mesh/mod01/01-000.htmlHere's why using MeSH is beneficial: Improved search precision: MeSH terms provide a standardized and hierarchical vocabulary, reducing the risk of retrieving irrelevant results due to variations in terminology used by authors. Enhanced recall: MeSH terms cover synonyms and related concepts, ensuring that articles are retrieved even if they use different words or phrases to describe the same topic. Facilitates broader and narrower searches:MeSH is organized in a hierarchical tree structure, allowing users to start with broad terms and narrow their search as needed or start with narrow terms and broaden their search as they go. Increases citation discoverability:MeSH indexing helps find relevant articles, even if they lack a detailed abstract or use less descriptive keywords. Streamlines the search process: MeSH terms are pre-defined with synonyms and scope notes, saving users the time and effort of manually searching for different variations of a concept.For example, a search for "Lung Neoplasms" using the MeSH term will retrieve articles discussing lung cancer, lung tumor, lung neoplasm, and pulmonary cancer, regardless of the specific term used by the author. This PubMed search shows lung neoplasms as a keyword search in the advanced search section of PubMed. Search: lung neoplasms Sort by: Publication Date"lung neoplasms"[MeSH Terms] OR ("lung"[All Fields] AND "neoplasms"[All Fields]) OR "lung neoplasms"[All Fields]Translationslung neoplasms: "lung neoplasms"[MeSH Terms] OR ("lung"[All Fields] AND "neoplasms"[All Fields]) OR "lung neoplasms"[All Fields]When you look at the articles retrieved by the search above, you will see keywords such as lung cancer, lung tumor, lung neoplasm, and pulmonary cancer.Why I use the MeSH database before I start searching:It defines subject terms I may not be very familiar with.It helps me see where a subject term fits into the tree hierarchy, which is useful if I don’t know much about the topic.It provides additional entry terms I can use in PubMed’s keyword box, as well as in other databases that do not recognize MeSH terms directly.It can help narrow down a large search quickly.If I’m having trouble finding articles, it can help me broaden my search terms by showing where they sit in the hierarchy.I don’t usually use the MeSH database itself to run my searches, but I use the information I find there to guide and improve my searches.Should you wish for me to present this topic, or any other, to your group or to you individually, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would be glad to assist.Happy Searching! Dawn Field, Your UIWSOM Librarian ...

Issues with Scholarly Identity or Professional Identity

This post is a continuation of the scholarly identity post from last month. In that post, I mentioned that employers have been checking social media to see what is posted about or by a prospective employee for years. After I wrote the post, I came across an article about a medical student who behaved unprofessionally, which ultimately cost him his residency at a particular institution. A quote from the article caught my attention: “The temptation remains to make impulsive online communication decisions when anonymity is assumed.”The article is cited below:Kaushik R, Sattler M, Bhamidipati V, Statzer H, Vu J, Wolfe AD. To Catch a Catfish: A Cautionary Tale of Internet Unprofessionalism. J Grad Med Educ. 2025 Feb;17(1):20-22. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-24-00629.1. Epub 2025 Feb 14. PMID: 39980968; PMCID: PMC11838069. After reading the article, I decided to do some research to see what else is in the literature about medical students and/or residents and social media. I wanted to share this information with you in an annotated bibliography—not that I think any of you are engaging in such behaviors. It’s always good to be knowledgeable about a topic that may affect your life. I also want to clarify that this search was not an all-encompassing literature review. Most of the articles below can be found in PubMed using their PMID or PMCID. Annotated Bibliography (Modified):Lee YM, Lee J, Rhim HC, Park H. A Preliminary Study on Uncovering Medical Students' Unprofessional Behaviors from YouTube Videos. J Korean Med Sci. 2021 Nov 1;36(42):e296. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e296. PMID: 34725980; PMCID: PMC8560317.This is an interesting article on uncovering medical students’ unprofessional behavior in YouTube videos. When we add a YouTube video, how many of us consider the “potential negative impact on the medical profession of easily accessible public online videos”?The table below is taken from the Lee YM article listed above. Pronk SA, Gorter SL, van Luijk SJ, Barnhoorn PC, Binkhorst B, van Mook WNKA. Perception of social media behaviour among medical students, residents and medical specialists. Perspect Med Educ. 2021 Aug;10(4):215-221. doi: 10.1007/s40037-021-00660-1. Epub 2021 Apr 7. PMID: 33826108; PMCID: PMC8368941.Conclusion from the paper above:“Social media use among medical students, residents, and medical specialists is common. The majority of participants use social media to gather and share information that otherwise would be missed and to keep in contact with others. Among the three groups, medical students spent the most time on social media. Participants acknowledged that inappropriate information was commonly posted on social media, but they were more likely to perceive it as inappropriate when posted by peers and colleagues than by themselves. Addressing colleagues about unprofessional online behavior is most likely to occur when patient privacy and confidentiality are breached. However, the respondents mentioned that this is difficult in practice. Medical educators should thus equip trainees with the skills to provide feedback to address such issues in a constructive manner by using already existing (online) guidelines on professional behavior in the undergraduate and postgraduate medical curriculum.” Nilsen K, Walling A, Dooley P, Krohn K, Kellerman R, Antoun J. To Post or Not to Post: Does Applicants' Social Media Affect Family Medicine Resident Recruitment? Fam Med. 2021 Oct;53(9):766-772. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2021.292421. PMID: 34624124.Great table below from the article cited above showing how many social media sites are checked for applicants. There may be more now, as the article was written in 2021. Economides JM, Choi YK, Fan KL, Kanuri AP, Song DH. Are We Witnessing a Paradigm Shift?: A Systematic Review of Social Media in Residency. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2019 Aug 19;7(8):e2288. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000002288. PMID: 31592016; PMCID: PMC6756642.This article discusses how residents and program directors use social media to evaluate residents applying to their programs. Barlow CJ, Morrison S, Stephens HO, Jenkins E, Bailey MJ, Pilcher D. Unprofessional Behaviour on Social Media by Medical Students. Med J Aust. 2015 Dec 14;203(11):439. doi: 10.5694/mja15.00272. PMID: 26654611.This is an older study about Australian medical students, but I believe it remains highly relevant to today’s medical students. It’s easy to lose judgment when away from school, intoxicated, or when you don't think your social media will be seen by anyone who could harm you professionally.Garmon EH, Morris KC, McAllister RK. Preserving Medical Professionalism in the Age of Social Media. JCA Advances [Internet]. 2024;1(3):100055. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950553424000558.Quote from the Garmon article: “The increasing frequency of unprofessional behavior on social media platforms makes it more important than ever that faculty mentors uphold medical professionalism and teach trainees how to exercise discernment and good judgment in what will be shared publicly.”The table below is from the Garmon article cited above.Murphy, B. How M4s Can Make Social Media an Asset During Residency Applications. American Medical Association. 2022. Available at: https://www.ama-assn.org/medical-students/preparing-residency/how-m4s-can-make-social-media-asset-during-residency (Accessed: 04 April 2025).Great advice on how to manage your social media during residency applications.Sterling M, Leung P, Wright D, Bishop TF. The Use of Social Media in Graduate Medical Education: A Systematic Review. Acad Med. 2017 Jul;92(7):1043-1056. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000001617. PMID: 28225466; PMCID: PMC5487290.Quote from Sterling article: “The effect of social media platforms on residency education, recruitment, and professionalism is mixed, and the quality of existing studies is modest at best.”Vukušić Rukavina T, Viskić J, Machala Poplašen L, Relić D, Marelić M, Jokic D, Sedak K. Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Nov 17;23(11):e25770. doi: 10.2196/25770. PMID: 34662284; PMCID: PMC8663533.Findings from the reviewed studies indicate the existence of both benefits and dangers of social media (SM) on e-professionalism among health care professionals (HCPs). Even though some barriers are recognized, this review highlights existing recommendations for incorporating e-professionalism into the educational curricula of HCPs. Based on all the evidence provided, this review offers new insights and guidance for future research in this area. There is a clear need for robust research to investigate emerging SM platforms, the effectiveness of guidelines and educational interventions, and the specific needs of each profession regarding their SM potential and use. University of the Incarnate Word, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Student Handbook.Available at: https://osteopathic-medicine.uiw.edu/_docs/student-handbook/do-student-handbook-2425.pdfSocial Media Policy, pages 47-49.While at the SOM, this is the primary resource for information on the social media policy. American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Social Media Guidelines –https://osteopathic.org/about/leadership/social-media-guidelines/#:~:text=Never%20post%20identifiable%20patient%20information,if%20you%20are%20posting%20anonymously.&text=Use%20strict%20privacy%20settings%20to,sure%20to%20confirm%20settings%20regularly. AOA’s Code of Ethics -https://osteopathic.org/about/leadership/aoa-governance-documents/code-of-ethics/ AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (2019) – Professionalism in the Use of Social Media - https://code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/2.3.2%20Professionalism%20in%20the%20use%20of%20social%20media%20--%20background%20reports.pdf AMA Policy: Professionalism in the Use of Social Media - https://code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/2.3.2%20Professionalism%20in%20the%20use%20of%20social%20media%20--%20background%20reports.pdfThe two AMA links above discuss the positive and negative issues physicians and medical students face when becoming involved with social media. This quote caught my attention: “Physicians must recognize that actions online and content posted may negatively affect their reputations among patients and colleagues, may have consequences for their medical careers (particularly for physicians-in-training and medical students), and can undermine public trust in the medical profession.”Please consider this information as helpful. Make decisions about your own lives as you see fit.Should you wish for me to present this topic, or any other, to your group or to you individually, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would be glad to assist.Happy Searching! Dawn Field, Your UIWSOM Librarian...

Additional Alternative Data sites

Additional Alternative Data sites:Harvard Law School's library has preserved federal websites in a digital archive so that the information can still be available to researchers. Data Vault Project - aims to preserve and authenticate vital public government datasets by archiving data from sources like data.gov, federal GitHub repositories, and PubMed, making them accessible for research, policymaking, and public use. Data Rescue Project - The Data Rescue Project is a coordinated effort among a group of data organizations, including IASSIST, RDAP, and members of the Data Curation Network. Our goal is to serve as a clearinghouse for data rescue-related efforts and data access points for public US governmental data that are currently at risk. You can read more about our efforts on our Resources about the Data Rescue Project page. Data Rescue Tracker - is a collaborative tool built to catalog existing public data rescue efforts so that we can coordinate better across initiatives. At this stage, you can use the tool to help reduce duplication of rescue efforts. The Data Rescue Tracker aims to provide a consolidated overview of who is backing up which dataset from which government websites. Resources - There are many individuals, organizations, and community-based resources that document and assist with rescuing efforts. Below is the list of tools, data sources, library guides, and articles we are aware of and their associated scopes. Checklists for Data Rescue Tools for Data Rescue Existing Alternative Data Sources - Economic Indicators - Public Health Library Guides to Data Rescue...

Scholarly Identity and ORCID ID

In this post, I will discuss Scholarly Identity and ORCID ID.Almost everyone has an identity online, but it's even more pronounced now that we have social media. Our identity can be positive or negative, depending on what we have shared about ourselves or what others have shared about us. As professionals, you will want to control that identity as much as possible. Your professional life may depend on it. For the past 15-20 years, employers have been checking social media to see what is posted about a prospective employee. They even check your credit and driving history. If you haven’t started taking control of the information out there about you, please start now. You don’t want to be turned down for your first-choice position because something negative is out there about you.A definition of scholarly identity encompasses an individual's presence, reputation, and the way they are perceived within the academic world, shaped by their training, research interests, expertise, publications, and online presence.Whether you are publishing to improve your CV for residency or for the love of research and publishing, an ORCID ID will help you.A little story from my past: When I worked at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, the library kept track of everyone’s publications. Occasionally, we would get a PI (Principal Investigator) whose name was the same as another researcher at a different institution. This time, the name was the same, down to the middle name. Next, we would look at where they worked and what they were researching. Unfortunately, our new PI and the other person had worked in the same places, researching the same thing. We had to sit down with them, and they would pick out which citations were theirs. If that PI would have had an ORCID ID, all we would have needed was that ID. But that’s only if they had attached the ID to every citation they were a part of by adding the citations to their ORCID ID profile. So, you can see, the sooner you have an ORCID ID, the better. Attach it to your articles when you publish, your letters to the editor, your CV, and even your email signature.What is ORCID ID?https://orcid.org/From the ORCiD site: “ORCiD, which stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID, is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. We provide ORCiD to researchers free of charge so that we may realize our vision of connecting all those who participate in research, scholarship, and innovation, ensuring they are uniquely identified and connected to their contributions across disciplines, borders, and time”. You create a profile on the ORCID website, linking your research activities, publications, grants, and other professional information.It is very easy to sign up for an ORCID ID—it only takes a few minutes. There are over 16 million people listed on the ORCID site, spanning over 55 countries. You can enter information about Employment, Education and Qualifications, Professional Activities, Funding, and Works.This is NOT sponsored or purchased by SOM, UIW Libraries or UIW. You can use whatever email and password you want.I signed up for one, so you can see what it looks like.PROS:Author Disambiguation: ORCID IDs help distinguish researchers with common names, ensuring proper attribution of their work. Improved Discoverability: ORCID profiles can increase the visibility of research outputs, making it easier for others to find and connect with a researcher's work. Lifelong Identifier: ORCID IDs are designed to remain consistent throughout a researcher's career, even if their name changes, or they move institutions. Comprehensive Record: Researchers can use their ORCID profile to create a comprehensive list of their publications, datasets, and other research activities in one place. Integration with Other Systems: ORCID integrates with various platforms and databases, allowing for automatic updates and linking of research outputs. Free and Easy to Use: ORCID is free for individuals to register and use, and the process is relatively straightforward. Control over Data: Researchers have control over the visibility and accessibility of their ORCID profile, choosing what information to share and with whom. CONS:Interface Not User-Friendly: Some researchers find the ORCID interface to be not very user-friendly. Effort Required for Maintenance: Researchers need to actively maintain their ORCID profile by adding and updating information, which can be time-consuming. Not Always Required: While some publishers and funding agencies require ORCID IDs, not all do, so the benefits may not be universally applicable. Potential for Data Privacy Concerns: Some researchers may have concerns about sharing their research data publicly, even with the privacy controls in place. May Not Be the Primary Search Method: Searches for a scholar's name or publication title on a search engine like Google may not display ORCID results prominently. Fees for Institutions: While free for individuals, institutions may incur costs for ORCID membership. Below are an article and a chapter that provide more information on this topic: Aguilar, S. J. (2018, July 26). Shaping a scholarly identity that helps you do what you want in academe (opinion). Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2018/07/26/shaping-scholarly-identity-helps-you-do-what-you-want-academe-opinion Buljung, B. (2022, July 1). Scholarly identity. In Buljung, B., Bongiovanni, E., & Li, Y. (Eds.) Navigating the research lifecycle for the modern researcher. Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.pub/researchlifecycle/chapter/chapter-x-scholarly-identity/Should you wish for me to present this topic, or any other, to your group or to you individually, please don'thesitate to reach out. I would be glad to assist. Happy Searching! Dawn Field, Your UIWSOM Librarian ...

Why use the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) database in PubMed when searching the scientific literature?

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