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How to search PubMed

Truncation in PubMed

Use the asterisk symbol. 

*

eg.  child*

This will capture variations on the truncated term child including but not limited to:

  • child
  • childs
  • children

Two really important things to note when using truncation in PubMed:

  • At least four characters must be provided in the truncated term.
  • When using the truncation symbol in a phrase, the truncated term must be the last word in the phrase.

screen capture showing pubmed search box containing the search "cell phone*"

National Library of Medicine. “Truncating Search Terms.” PubMed User Guide, National Library of Medicine, 2024, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/help/#truncating-search-terms.