Cochrane Library

Many of the records within the Cochrane Library are indexed with MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). MeSH is the National Library of Medicine's thesaurus of controlled vocabulary terms (sometimes called subject headings), used for indexing articles for the Medline and PubMed databases. You can search the thesaurus for MeSH terms and use these in your search for more effective searching than textword searching alone. Thesaurus searching can improve the comprehensiveness of your search and is especially advised if you are undertaking a systematic review. 

If you'd like to find out more about thesaurus searching, take a look at our page: What are subject headings? 

You can search for MeSH terms within the Advanced Search, either from within the Search Manager tab by clicking on the MeSH button, or in the Medical terms (MeSH) search tab. Using either route you can then begin the MeSH search using the instructions below; both will achieve the same result.

• Begin by entering a search term in the search box and then select Look up.

• The Thesaurus will try to find an exact match. In the example below the exact match for sore throat is Pharyngitis. The exact matched subject heading will be automatically selected. Always ensure the selected subject heading is appropriate for your search topic. 
• Selected subject headings are exploded by default. This means they will automatically search for any narrower more specific subject headings too. For example, exploding Pharyngitis will also search for more specific types of sore throat such as Tonsillitis. 
• If preferred, you can choose to search with a Single MeSH term instead (not exploding your MeSH term), but this will not include any narrower MeSH terms. Generally speaking it is best not to switch off the Explode button unless you are certain this is required. If you are unsure, check with a librarian. 
• Once you have made your selection, select Add to Search Manager (or Add/Edit search line if you are working from within the Search Builder tab). 
• The MeSH terms will be added to the Search Manager where it can be combined with other search lines.

• If there is no exact match then you could look at any suggested phrase or any word matches. For example a search for "Pregnant", won't find an exact match, however the MeSH term Pregnant Women is suggested as an option.
• You can select a suggested subject heading by clicking on it.
• Consider also using alternative search terms to check for MeSH Terms (e.g. Pregnancy).

If you have already run a PubMed or Medline search where you have used MeSH then you should already know which terms will be needed for your Cochrane Library search. It's simply a case of entering them into the Search Manager using the following syntax:

• For exploded terms which are a single word, enter them as [mh term], e.g. [mh Neoplasms].
• For terms which do not require explosion, enter them as  [mh ^term] (note the added caret ^ before the term).
• For terms which are a phrase, you must enter these with double quotation marks, e.g. [mh "Ovarian Cysts"].
• To limit a MeSH search by one or more subheading (sometimes known as qualifiers), add the abbreviated subheading code in capitals after a forward slash, e.g. [mh Neoplasms/DI,DG].

For more detailed help check the Search help available within the Cochrane Library. 

The simple answer is no. CENTRAL is made up of records from numerous sources, of which only some are indexed with MeSH.

It is therefore best to use both textword and MeSH terms when performing a comprehensive search. Records indexed with MeSH include those gathered from PubMed (Medline) and ClinicalTrials.gov (a trials registry), however CINAHL records and those added by hand searching do not have MeSH terms so may only be found using textword searching.