How do I get the full text of an article?
Access PubMed from the Alaska Medical Library (AML) website to see the Alaska flag that indicates free online access to journal articles. If no icons appear, order copies of an article from AML. Delivery methods are listed on this page.
What journals are indexed in PubMed and how are they selected?
The NLM Catalog allows you to search for journals referenced in NCBI databases, including PubMed. This NLM fact sheet on MEDLINE journal selection tells you the criteria used to select a journal for inclusion in the MEDLINE database.
Is MEDLINE and PubMed the same thing?
No. See this NLM fact sheet for a list of what is in PubMed beyond MEDLINE citations.
Can I save a search with PubMed?
You can save a search in PubMed using MyNCBI, your personal space on the NLM server. Go to NLM's MyNCBI page for more information on saving searches and other MyNCBI services. See PubMed Help for instructions on how to save a search as an RSS feed and how to create a URL to bookmark your search.
How do I save searches and citations or create email alerts?
My NCBI is your personal space on the NLM computer system for saving searches, results, PubMed preferences, and for creating automatic email alerts. Click on the My NCBI link at the top right of the PubMed window to get started. Free registration is required. See NLM's MyNCBI page for more information.
Is there a mobile version of PubMed?
PubMed Mobile is a simplified, mobile-friendly web interface that allows users to perform basic searches and provides the same content as Standard PubMed. Note: PubMed Mobile does not include specialized search pages, such as Limits and Advanced search, or added features, such as My NCBI, Clipboard, or LinkOut/Outside Tool. See NLM Technical Bulletin No. 379 for more details.
How do I find peer-reviewed articles in PubMed?
Most of the journals indexed in PubMed are peer reviewed, but there is no limiter for peer review. Use Limits to eliminate letters, editorials, etc., then use Clinical Queries or Topic-Specific Queries (found on the Home page or under More Resources at the top of the Advanced Search page). Most of what is left will be peer reviewed. Alternatively, you can use Journals in NCBI Database (found on the Home page or under More Resources at the top of the Advanced Search page) to look up a specific journal, and go to the journal site to see if it is peer reviewed.
Review or systematic review -- what is the difference?
A review article is published after examination of published material on a subject. It may be comprehensive to various degrees, and the time range of material scrutinized may be broad or narrow, but the reviews most often desired are reviews of the current literature. State-of-the-art reviews tend to address more current matters.
A systematic review is a literature review focused on a research question that tries to identify, appraise, select, and synthesize all high-quality research evidence relevant to that question.
How can I find help?
Help links are found at the top of all PubMed screens. For additional assistance, consult with a librarian.
How can I find a complete citation for a single article?
Use Single Citation Matcher 
The link is found at the bottom of the Home page and under More Resources at the top of the Advanced Search screen. Lets you fill in known pieces of information about a specific reference in order to retrieve the full citation.
Where can I temporarily save my citations?
Use the Clipboard The Clipboard acts as a temporary holding file for all citations collected during your online session. Select desired citations and use the Send link to save to Clipboard. Click on the Clipboard link on the right side of the Results page to retrieve all citations on your Clipboard. Results on the Clipboard will be lost after 8 hours of inactivity.
How do I save my search strategy?
Use History The history is found on the Advanced Search screen. It holds search strategies and results from your current search session. You may combine previous searches or add additional terms to an existing search by clicking search numbers to add to the Search Builder in addition to typing in terms, e.g., #2 AND #6 or #3 AND drug therapy.
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