How to search using Ovid

Each citation in an Ovid database has it's own record page.  To see a record page do a search in an Ovid database and click on the title of one of the results.  The page that opens is that citation's record page.  Each record is made up of many parts called fields.  Some standard fields include:

• ti = title of the article (or citation)
• so = source (journal, volume, issue, pages)
• au = Author
• ab = Abstract
• kf = Keyword Heading word
• hw = Subject heading word

Because each Ovid database is unique it has it's own unique set of fields.  Being familiar with those fields can make searching much easier. Learn more by reviewing each database's guide:

UM Librarians have a number of favourite field search combinations for keyword searches:

• .mp.
• .ti,ab,kf.
• .ti,ab.
• .ti.
• .au.

The multi-purpose (.mp.) search is the default search for all basic keyword searches in Ovid databases. The keywords connected to a .mp. search are looked for in a number of different fields often including title of the citation, abstract, author supplied keywords, subject headings and more. However, the individual fields covered by this multi-purpose search can vary significantly between the Ovid databases.  If you need to know what is included look to the individual database guides.

Example search using Embase database:

(mortal* OR fatal* OR death).mp.

This string is telling Ovid to look in all of the multi-purpose fields for any variant of mortal, any variant of fatal, or the word death. In Embase, .mp. searches in:

• title
• abstract
• heading word
• drug trade name
• original title
• device manufacturer
• drug manufacturer
• device trade name
• keyword heading word
• floating subheading word
• candidate term word

In Medline and Embase, this field combination is a common way to search for keywords.  It searches the title, abstract and author supplied keywords (.ti,ab,kf.).  It is used in combination with subject searching on comprehensive searches.

Example search in Embase:

(teen* OR adolescen* OR youth OR young).ti,ab,kf.

Searching for keywords in the title and abstract fields (.ti,ab.) is one way of focusing a keyword search. All OVID databases have these fields.

Example search:

("cell phone*" OR "cellular phone*" OR "mobile phone*" OR smartphone* OR cellphone*).ti,ab.

Searching for keywords in the title field (.ti.) can further focus the search.  Theoretically the most important words are used in the title.  If you are authoring a paper please keep this in mind!

Example searches:

(distracted OR inattentive).ti. AND driv*.ti.

((distracted OR inattentive) AND driv*).ti.

In both case, OVID looks for either the word distracted or the word inattentive and any variation of drive, drives, driving, driver, drivers (etc) in the title field.

Note: Nested searching using brackets can be problematic.  Conceptually the first version of the example search may be easier to understand but the second version is also correct. Learn more about nested searching:

If you are interested in a particular author(s) you can search the author field (.au.) for the last name of the author.

Example search:

smith.au.

If you have an article citation and you want to find out more about the article you can search using keywords in the title and the author(s) last name.

Example search for Embase:

Looking for this article

Yockey R.A., Barnett T.E. Distracted and Impaired Driving Among U.S. Adolescents, 2019, USA. Health Promot Pract 2024;25(1):60-64. doi:10.1177/15248399221150814

This search string would be helpful

(yockey AND barnett).au AND (distracted AND adolescents).ti.

These may be helpful to understanding this search string: