OvidSP Basic Search tips

The new OvidSP search interface includes a new search, Basic Search. It is a good place to start for new users.

Its Include Related Terms feature automatically expands your entered search terms by including synonyms, acronyms, and variants of the original term(s).

For best results:

• Use one of these three strategies:
  1. Concise group of terms: a concise expression of a concept
     • Noise words in the following detract from the concept: really big ekg changes in highly advanced hypokalemia.
       Instead, keep it simple: ekg changes in hypokalemia.
       
  2. Full query: a question or phrase stated in plain, everyday English (free text)
  3. Copy and paste a title
• Use nouns more than verbs - Nouns are the natural home for concepts. They are easy to identify and have less ambiguity.
• Do not use quotation marks, brackets, or hyphens - this causes Basic Search to not consider possible synonyms, acronyms, and variants of your original search terms. For example in the search weather related migraine, if you use a hyphen in the phrase weather-related, you lose all expansions on the word weather.
• Do not use Boolean operators (and, or, and not) to combine your search terms. These work best in "Classic" Ovid search syntax, available on the Advanced Search tab.

• Medline Basic search
• PsycINFO Basic Search
• Cinahl Basic Search
• Inspec Basic Search

More information is available:

• Quick Reference Cards (QRCs) [3MB PDF file]
• OvidSP User Guide [1MB PDF file]
  Note: Login information on pp 2-3 of Ovid User Guide does not apply to University of Sydney

If you have questions, would like to provide us with feedback, or would like training on the new platform please contact your Liaison Librarian