How to Use Ovid Medline

After completing your search, select Save Search History at the bottom right of the Search History.  Select Create a new personal account and fill out the starred fields.

• No spaces permitted in the username.
• Case-sensitive password must be 6-8 characters.
• Any email and descriptive tags will do.

When you click Create, Ovid will display a form for naming the search.

Once you've logged in to your account, name your search and indicate how you want it saved.

• Spaces are allowed in the name.
• Search date or other notes may be entered in the Comment field.
• Select Temporary (168 hours) or  Permanent.
• AutoAlert and My Projects options are covered below.
• When you click Save, Ovid will return to the search and verify the name in red (or instruct you to change it).

If you save to My Projects, Ovid will ask you to name the project (folder) or select an existing project. It saves a text version of your search history and allows you to add annotations separately, with 50 MB of storage.

To view your saved searches, select Medline (or another database) and click View Saved at the top right of the search history. To execute a saved search, check its box, select Run (upper left), and select Search in the blue ribbon to return to the Main Search Page, where it will eventually be displayed.

You can be notified on a regular basis of any citations that match your search specifications in the future.  Ovid can send multiple email accounts lists of records added to Medline or other Ovid databases. For the very latest Medline citations, create a keyword search in Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations.   Here's how to set up an alert, but don't hesitate to ask your librarian for help.

1. Combine your desired results into the last set of your search history.
2. Select Save Search History (at the bottom right).
3. After naming your search, select AutoAlert in the Type menu.
4. Select a scheduling option (on update or weekly or monthly on particular days of the week).
5. Check email as report option.
6. Skip the options for including strategy & external resolver link.
7. Accept the default:  Email includes records, a Results Display Link, and a link to each record's Fulltext or Complete Reference Display.
8. Enter your emails separated by commas.
9. Revise the subject line of the email.
10. Select inline or attachment, HTML or text only.
11. Ovid results format is fine for most purposes.
12. Select the fields to include (e.g. citation with or without abstract).
13. Sort by journal name or other fields, or accept the default.
14. Select Save.

To edit your alerts and saved searches, select View Saved.

• Select the pen icon above your search name.
• Change any elements and save.

To cancel an alert, simply check its box, select Delete (button at the top) and confirm.

For illustrations and more details, see the Kresge Library of the Scripps Research Institute.

Ovid will generate a URL that enables RSS feed readers to display the records that meet your specifications when they are added to a database you select.  Here's how to create a feed: 

1. Combine your search results into a final set.
2. Select   at the bottom of your search history.
1. Ovid will generate a name based on the date, but you can change that if you like.
2. Customize the Comment to reflect your subject.
3. Accept the default and Save.
3. Ovid will prompt you to login to your Personal Account.
4. Ovid will post a red message like this at the top of your search:  
1. Search History saved as "RSS 20141203_140210" and the RSS feed URL is here  .
2. It  collects your RSS feed URLs on your list of saved searches.
5. When you click here, Ovid will send XML code to your browser.  
1. Firefox will prompt you to save the feed to its resident reader, Live Bookmarks.  Click Subscribe Now or select another reader.
2. Chrome defaults to Feedly.  Select Manage to set another reader.