Here is a search on codeine

The results of the search turn up in what PubMed calls summary format.

This includes the article title
authors
abbreviated journal title and publication details
unique PubMed identification number and the stage of processing
(usually) a link to similar citations

Citations as supplied by publisher have a PubMed ID and a link to related citations but otherwise have only the information provided by the publisher of the article.
Citations in process are just the same, but the actual article has been given to a human to read. The human will add subject headings to the PubMed citation that describe the topical contents of the article. Because this hasn't happened yet the citation is in process.

Citations to articles that have their subject headings added have the status PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE.

MeSH Database
Use the MeSH database to find the subject headings PubMed uses to describe these concepts.
I like to work with two windows or tabs open, one for the MeSH database and the other for PubMed.

You can get access to the MeSH Database from the PubMed home.

You can also get to the MeSH Database by using the drop down menu on PubMed.
Scroll down to find MeSH in alphabetical order.

Type a single term into the MeSH database.
Click on the Search button.

The display of the MeSH appears

We want to make PubMed search this term as a subject heading.
To force it to do this add the field tag [mh] to the term in your logic grid.
We also want PubMed to search terms that mean the same thing if they appear in the titles or abstracts, of citations, so we can add terms to the grid with the tag [tiab].
To make your search more comprehensive you can use [tw] instead of [tiab].
Using [tw] will search titles, abstracts, subject heading words, subheadings, and keywords.

I usually use a Word document to set up my logic grids.
This way you can save them in case you want to edit them later.

Notice that I've added OR at the end of each term. This will make it easier to enter your searches into PubMed later, especially if you use PubMed with a Firefox browser.

Truncation
Notice that I've added a * to the end of the search of titles and abstracts for single nucleotide polymorphism.
The asterisk is the truncation symbol in PubMed.
It will search all the words that begin with the root letters.

organ* will find organ OR organelle OR organelles OR organic OR organisation
and many other terms

I usually don't truncate MeSH, but it's possible to do it.

Now look at the Entry Terms in the MeSH Database, to see if there are other terms you might add to the grid.
PubMed Entry Terms are considered to be synonyms.

Also look at the broader MeSH to see if one of these terms is more appropriate for your search.

It's probably worth adding snp[tw] as well as snps[tw] to the logic grid, along with any particular snps that are of interest.
Why do I not truncate this?
Well I could, but it will find individual snps such as snp309 that I may not want, along with other terms that start with the same letters such as SNPEVG which is some sort of graphics program.

Search for Codeine in the MeSH database.
In the logic grid add the MeSH for codeine and also look in the Entry Terms for other terms that might turn up in titles or abstracts.

Check the more specific MeSH to see if these are relevant.
Remember they will be automatically searched as subject headings in the search for codeine[mh], but you might want to include a search of these terms in titles and abstracts or [tw].

 

You can add other terms that you think are appropriate.
This will give you a good beginning to finding the language of the search.
As you read through the literature you may come across other terms that you'll want to include in the logic grid.

Logic Rules
There are two ways to get your search into PubMed so that you have the right logic.

Method 1
Paste in the search terms from the first column of your logic grid.

polymorphism, single nucleotide[mh] OR single nucleotide polymorphism*[tw] OR snp[tw] OR snps[tw] OR oprm1[tw]

Click on Search or press the Enter key.

The result for this part of your search appears.

Now click on the X in the PubMed search box to clear this first column search.
Don't panic! PubMed has remembered the result.

Now paste in the terms from the second column of your logic grid.

codeine[mh] OR codeine[tw] OR n methtylmorphine[tw] OR isocodeine[tw] OR hydrocodon*[tw] OR oxycod*[tw]

Continue until you have searched all the columns.
Click on the Advanced link.

Your searches to date will appear.

Click on Add (under the heading Add to builder) for each of your searches.
Don't worry if the search numbers are sometimes a bit strange.

When you have added all of the searches from your logic grid columns, click on Search to combine your searches using AND logic.

Method 2
Use the three logic rules

Rule 1
All the terms in a single column (synonyms and alternative terms) must be linked by OR logic.

polymorphism, single nucleotide[mh] OR single nucleotide polymorphism*[tw] OR snp[tw] OR snps[tw] OR oprm1[tw]

Rule 2
All terms joined with OR logic must be enclosed in round brackets.

(polymorphism, single nucleotide[mh] OR single nucleotide polymorphism*[tw] OR snp[tw] OR snps[tw] OR oprm1[tw])

Rule 3
Combine the lists of terms from the different columns (concepts) using AND logic.

Your search becomes

(polymorphism, single nucleotide[mh] OR single nucleotide polymorphism*[tw] OR snp[tw] OR snps[tw] OR oprm1[tw]) AND (codeine[mh] OR codeine[tw] OR n methtylmorphine[tw] OR isocodeine[tw] OR hydrocodon*[tw] OR oxycod*[tw])

Enter your search in the PubMed Search box, not in the MeSH database.

Searching from the MeSH Database
You can also search for more than one subject heading from the MeSH Database
Find the first concept in the MeSH Database and click on the Add to search builder button.

See that the program begins setting up a PubMed search on the MeSH.
Enter the second concept that you want to find as a MeSH.
Click on the link for codeine.

Click on Add to search builder button, making sure that the AND logic option is showing.
This will search for codeine as a subject heading and include all the more specific subject headings as well.

Click on the Search PubMed button to run this search in the PubMed database.

MeSH Subheadings
Sometimes MeSH subheadings can be useful, particularly when you are looking for very specific topics.
Click in the boxes to the left of each subheading you want to search.
The resulting search will find citations to the subject heading only if the subheading is also included.
PubMed will also search for more specific subject headings listed below the MeSH selected, but again only if they also have one of the subheadings included.

Search for morphine with the subheadings pharmacokinetics and pharmacology.

Search for morphine in the MeSH database.
Click in the boxes to the left of of the two subheadings.

Click on the Add to search builder button.
Notice that the terms are combined using OR logic.

Click on the Search PubMed button to complete the search.

You can also type MeSH plus subheading searches straight into logic grids and PubMed.
If you do this it's best to enclose the MeSH and subheading in double quotes that way PubMed will know that you are looking for subheadings.

("morphine/pharmacokinetics"[mh] OR "morphine/pharmacology"[mh]) AND (infant[mh] OR infant*[tiab] OR newborn*[tiab] OR neonat*[tiab])

Displaying Results

Citations found by searches are initially displayed in Summary form. This includes

article title
author(s)
abbreviated journal title and publication details
a PubMed Identification number and stage of indexing
a link to similar citations

To change the display format,
click on the link or the down arrow next to Display Settings. 

Click in the radio button to the left of Abstract.
Click on the Apply button.

The results will display in the new format.

Abstract Display

Clicking on a Uni of Adelaide Online icon should take you (fairly) directly to the full text of the article.
If you can't find a Uni of Adelaide icon then we may still have the full text.

You can try looking for the title of the article in Library Search.

A higher percentage option is to search for the title of the journal.

In PubMed point your cursor at the abbreviated journal title.
PubMed will briefly display the full title of the journal.

Journal Title Searches in PubMed

Click on Advanced Search in PubMed.

Type in the title, abbreviated title of the journal you want to search.
If you see the title of the journal you want come up as you type you can click on this.

All the citations from this journal in PubMed appear.

Filters (Limits)

PubMed has several ways of reducing the number of citations found to manageable levels. You should always be aware with this that you may lose important articles.
There are cases of patient damage resulting from inadequate searching where vital articles were lost because limits were imposed.
In some instances searches should be made more comprehensive by including pre electronic sources prior to 1960.

PubMed's Filters appear in the left hand side bar of the results screen in both Summary and Abstract displays.

The search
(drug interactions[mh] OR drug interaction*[tw]) AND (morphine[mh] OR morphi*[tw])
finds many citations so you may want to limit the search.
Date and language limits are often useful and limiting to reviews is sometimes helpful.

Limit by availability
You can limit to citations that have abstracts, or free full text. Note that the limit to Full text available doesn't mean freely available through Uni of Adelaide Library and will certainly result in finding fewer articles than we actually can supply. If you find an article you want but The Uni of Adelaide really doesn't have access then you can make a request for the article using the Library's Document Delivery Request form.

Limit by publication date
Click on 5 years, or 10 years, or set your own date limits by clicking on Custom range ...

Limit by species
You can limit your search results to Humans or Other Animals, but you should be aware that both of these limits are MeSH. If you choose one of these you will lose all your As supplied by publisher and In process citations.

Limit by article type
You can select a single article type from the list displayed, or you can view all the article types available by clicking on more ... just below Randomized Controlled Trial.

Click in the boxes to the left of any article type that you'd like to have appear on the PubMed sidebar.
You can click in as many boxes as you want, but see below.
This won't initially limit your search to these articles types, but when you click on Show these article types will display on the sidebar.
To limit your search results using these filters, just click on one of the Article types.
This will limit your search to that article type.

While this works, annoyingly it removes the other article types you requested so that if you want to select more article types to be included in your search you'll have to click on more again and add them one by one.

Once you have set a limit using a filter, that limit will remain for other searches until you clear it.

Evidence Based Practice Articles