Module 4: MeSH Search Techniques for Special Queries

Specialized Searches


Genes


Locating literature about a gene in PubMed can be as simple as searching PubMed with a gene name or symbol. For example, searching PubMed for the gene ank1 retrieves hundreds of results.

PubMed Search Results for ank1

During Automatic Term Mapping, PubMed did not find any MeSH Terms to match ank1, so it searched for “ank1”[All Fields].

PubMed search details for ank1

NCBI Gene Database

For a more precise search of PubMed for genes, or if you can’t find your gene in PubMed, you’ll want to start in the NCBI Gene database, which serves as a portal to gene-centered information from different NLM resources.

To search Gene, enter a gene name or symbol. The Gene database automatically matches your search with the gene it thinks is most relevant, which is displayed in a box at the top of the results page. Also in the box are links to other NLM resources, including PubMed. Click on the PubMed link to view the linked results.

Search results for ank1 on NCBI gene database showing PubMed connection of 118

Going to PubMed from the Gene database will retrieve the most relevant citations about a gene.

PubMed search results for ank1 from the Gene Database with PubMed Links for id: 286 at the top

To see detailed step-by-step directions for finding genes in NLM databases, view the tutorial How to: Find published information on a gene or sequence. For help with finding gene information across all NLM resources, view the Gene Quick Start guide.