SEARCHING FOR TITLE WORDS
There are several uses for title word searching:
- If you are looking for a specific article and you know some of the exact words that are used in the title, you can search for these words.
For Example:
There are a series of articles that discuss how to read the medical literature. They are often referred to as the "user's guides" because those are the first words in each article's title. To find these article you would search for "users guides" as title words.
Or, perhaps you remember reading an article about a smoking cessation program for teenaged boys in Boston. You could try finding the article by searching for potential title words.
- You can also use title word searching to identify relevant journals on any variety of subjects.
For Example:
You have a rash on your hands and suspect that it has something to do with the rubber gloves that you frequently wear when working with patients. Another physician mentions to you that she's read about latex allergies in the medical literature. You are searching for articles that discuss the concept of "latex allergy" or "allergic reactions to latex". You could do a subject searching using the MeSH -- Medical Subject Headings -- but you decide to do a quick title word search for "latex allergy" instead.
- Title word searching is helpful if you're having trouble identifying the proper MeSH for your topic(s).
Try this approach:
Do a title word search for your topic. Then, identify a promising citation, and look at its "complete reference". Scroll down to the MeSH display, and see which MeSH are used. Then, integrate these MeSH into your search strategy.
- Title word searching is also helpful if you're finding too much literature on your topic, or if you want to hone-in on a particular word/concept.
Try this approach:
After you have completed the regular subject search, identify one or more particularly relevant potential title words. Search for these words as title words, then combine the results with the results of your subject search.
When searching for title words, try to use the most unique or uncommon words available. The system will NOT search for "stopwords" or words such as "a", "an", "the", etc.
Searching Option #1: Using the Menu Commands
One of the easiest and most direct ways to search for title words is to use the OVID menu prompts.
Click on  icon, which is located at the top of OVID's main menu. Then, type in the important title word or words.
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Searching Option #2: Using Direct Entry to Bypass Menu Options
Another way to identify title words is to bypass the menu opions and search via direct entry. Using direct entry, you can enter title words directly in the "Enter Keyword or Phrase" box:
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Format:
word.ti.
phrase.ti.
(term and term).ti.
(term or term).ti.
Notice above that you can search for single title words, phrases, or use nesting and boolean logic (AND, OR). You can also use the $ truncation symbol, or wild card character in title word searching.
EXAMPLES
- Format:
word or phase.ti.
You can also use the $ truncation symbol, or wild card character.
- Type in the "Enter Keyword or Phrase" box:
latex.ti.
will retrieve articles that use the word latex in the titles.
- Type in the "Enter Keyword or Phrase" box:
latex allergy.ti.
will retrieve articles that use the phrase latex allergy in the titles.
- Type in the "Enter Keyword or Phrase" box:
(latex and allergy).ti.
will retrieve articles that use the word latex AND allergy, regardless of where in the title each word appears. This search would retrieve articles whose titles say "latex allergy", "allergy to latex", etc., yielding more results than the set above.
Type in the "Enter Keyword or Phrase" box:
(latex and allerg$).ti.
will retrieve articles that use the word latex AND allergy, allergies, allergens, allergic regardless of where in the title each word appears. This search would retrieve articles whose titles say "latex allergy", "allergy to latex", "allergic reactions to latex products", "allergens such as latex", etc. Using the $ truncation symbol, or wild card character, in combination with the boolean AND will yield more results than the sets above.
This is what the results of title word searching will look like:
| # |
Search History |
Results | Display |
| 1 |
(latex allergy).ti. |
65 |
Display |
| 2 |
(latex and allerg$).ti. |
148 |
Display |
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