Translate a search query between Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed syntax
About
This project is a collaboration between the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) and the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (PenCLAHRC).
MEDLINE Transpose was developed to mitigate a common problem among information specialists: converting search syntax between PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE interfaces. When formulating a complex search strategy involving free text, controlled vocabulary terms, wildcards, or adjacency syntax, it is sometimes necessary to convert the strategy from one interface to another to capitalize on the strengths of each. However, transposing a strategy is not a straightforward process due to the different functions available and ways that the interfaces interpret user logic. For example, the PubMed interface automatically explodes subject headings, while the Ovid interface does not. Other search functions, such as TW (textword) in PubMed and MP (multipurpose) in Ovid search similar but slightly different combinations of fields, and require a thorough reading of help documentation to ensure the most accurate translation.