Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System, MEDLARS, History, Features, Services, MEDLINE, PUBMED

MLIS-101: Information System and Programmes.

Name	Abbreviation	Established	Headquarters Address & Contact Details	URL
Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System	MEDLARS	1964	National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike #2E-17B, Bethesda, MD 20894, United States.	http://pubmed.gov

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1. Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLARS)

2. History

3. MEDLINE

National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
The National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) was established as part of the National Library of Medicine within the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, under a United States Public Law in 1988. Its primary objectives are:

• MEDLINE:

• PubMed:

• Entrez:

Retrieval from MEDLINE: MEDLINE utilises the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for effective information retrieval. Search engines tailored for MEDLINE, like Entrez and PubMed, typically employ a Boolean expression that combines MeSH terms, words from article abstracts and titles, author names, publication dates, and more. Entrez and PubMed can identify articles akin to a given one, leveraging a mathematical scoring system that evaluates the similarity between the word content in the abstracts and titles of two articles.

MeSH: The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) represent NLM's controlled vocabulary, serving multiple purposes, including indexing articles, cataloguing books, and enabling searches in MeSH-indexed databases like MEDLINE. MeSH terminology provides a standardised means to retrieve information despite varying terminologies for similar concepts. Organised hierarchically, MeSH descriptors allow broad searches that encompass narrowly indexed articles. This hierarchical structure also facilitates browsing MeSH to locate relevant descriptors. Continually updated by subject specialists, MeSH undergoes hundreds of new concept additions and numerous modifications annually.

MEDLINE Usage: PubMed usage has seen a consistent uptrend since 2008. MEDLINE aims to strike a balance between usability, potency, and comprehensiveness. Given that MEDLINE primarily caters to professionals like medical scientists and healthcare providers, effective searching on this platform requires skill, as untrained users may find simple searches overwhelming due to the large number of returned articles. It's essential to understand that a search yielding thousands of articles may not guarantee comprehensiveness. Unlike typical Internet search engines, navigating PubMed for MEDLINE necessitates a modest investment of time. Leveraging the MeSH database to define the subject of interest is a highly beneficial method to enhance search quality. Employing MeSH terms alongside limits (such as publication date or type), qualifiers (like adverse effects or prevention and control), and text-word searching proves another effective strategy.
The selection of journals for inclusion in MEDLINE primarily hinges upon recommendations from the Literature Selection Technical Review Committee (LSTRC). Like those reviewing NIH grant applications, this committee comprises external experts. Additionally, some journals and newsletters are selected based on NLM-initiated reviews, focusing on specific priorities such as the history of medicine, health services research, AIDS, toxicology and environmental health, molecular biology, and complementary medicine. These reviews typically involve consultations with a diverse range of NIH and external experts and, in some instances, external organisations with collaborative ties to the NLM.

Broad Subject Coverage The subject scope of MEDLINE spans biomedicine and health, encompassing a broad spectrum within the life sciences, behavioural sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering. This expansive coverage caters to the needs of health professionals, researchers engaged in fundamental studies and clinical care, and individuals involved in public health, health policy development, and related educational pursuits. Moreover, MEDLINE also incorporates essential elements from various life sciences essential for biomedical practitioners, educators, and researchers, including aspects of biology, environmental science, marine biology, plant and animal science, biophysics, and chemistry. The inclusion of life sciences saw significant augmentation starting in 2000. Scholarly journals comprise the majority of publications indexed in MEDLINE. At the same time, a small fraction includes select newspapers, magazines, and newsletters deemed valuable for specific segments within the broad user community of the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
As the primary component of PubMed (http://pubmed.gov), a MEDLINE/PubMed search generates a list of citations containing authors, titles, sources, and often an abstract for journal articles. Additionally, it indicates whether the full text is freely available electronically. The search process is free of charge and does not necessitate registration. An increasing number of MEDLINE citations provide links to free full-text articles archived in PubMed Central or other platforms. Depending on the publisher's access criteria, these links redirect users to the publisher's or alternative full-text provider's website. For articles not freely accessible online, the "Loansome Doc" feature within PubMed offers a straightforward method to electronically request the full-text article through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM). Registration is mandatory for this service, and local fees may apply.
Organisations leasing the MEDLINE database from the NLM also develop and provide services or products granting access to MEDLINE data. Access to various MEDLINE services is commonly available through medical libraries, many public libraries, and commercial sources.

MedlinePlus (http://medlineplus.gov/): MedlinePlus serves as the National Library of Medicine's web portal for consumer health information, providing authoritative and updated health information devoid of advertisements, accessible freely at any time and from anywhere. A Spanish-language version, MedlinePlus en español (http://medlineplus.gov/spanish), is also available. Additionally, a version specifically designed for cell phones and other mobile devices is at http://m.medlineplus.gov. It's important to note that MedlinePlus does not encompass an exhaustive list of every health-related web resource; instead, it curates a selective list of reliable health information sources from NIH, government bodies, and professional organisations in the U.S.

PubMed: PubMed functions as a free search engine primarily accessing the MEDLINE database, containing references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. Maintained by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) under the National Institutes of Health, PubMed is part of the Entrez system, allowing information retrieval. Before the inception of PubMed in January 1996, MEDLINE online access was primarily limited to institutional facilities like medical libraries. However, PubMed began private, free, and home-computerized MEDLINE searching when it was publicly introduced in June 1997, showcasing MEDLINE searches via the web.
Containing over 26 million citations for biomedical literature, PubMed encompasses citations from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. These citations often include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher websites. PubMed covers areas within biomedicine and health, delving into aspects of the life sciences, behavioural sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering. Additionally, it provides access to relevant websites and links to other NCBI molecular biology resources. PubMed is a free resource supporting researchers in the field, developed and maintained by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

PubMed Central: PubMed Central (PMC) is a free archive housing biomedical and life sciences journal literature within the U.S. National Institute of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). As an initiative aligned with NLM's legislative mandate to collect and preserve biomedical literature, PMC mirrors NLM's extensive print journal collection in digital form. Launched in February 2000 and managed by NLM's National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), PMC ensures permanent access to its content, even amid evolving technology and potential digital format obsolescence.
PMC operates as a repository for journal literature contributed by participating publishers and author manuscripts submitted in compliance with NIH's Public Access Policy and similar research funding agency policies. Notably, PMC does not publish journal articles but facilitates publishers in depositing their content into the archive, allowing them to delay its release for a reasonable period post-publication. Moreover, publishers can access their deposited material at any time, free of charge. PMC's value lies in its capacity to store and cross-reference diverse data sources within a single repository. It enables users to search full-text articles efficiently and integrate this literature with various information resources, fostering research and knowledge in scientific and clinical fields. NLM collaborates internationally with other agencies, sharing PMC's goals maintaining copies of its literature in reliable international archives to bolster protection against material loss or damage while promoting innovation and permanence over the long term.

4. MEDLINE, PubMed, and PMC (PubMed Central): Key Differences

• MEDLINE:

• PubMed:

• PMC (PubMed Central)

5. ICMR-NIC Centre for Biomedical Information (Indian MEDLARS Centre)

The ICMR-NIC Centre for Biomedical Information, also known as the Indian MEDLARS Centre (IMC), was established in 1986 with the primary objective of addressing the information requirements of biomedical professionals in India. This centre was set up to provide medical professionals with rapid access to relevant biomedical information, utilising resources from the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) databases and various internet resources and CD databases. It offers comprehensive support services such as training sessions, access to full-text journal articles, and a Union Catalogue of Biomedical Periodicals.

• IndMED Database: