Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

DB / Metadata Management Program (MMP): Using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH®) in Cataloging


Qualifier Tab for Descriptor Records

  • A list of specific qualifiers allowed in combination with the descriptor appear on a separate tab in the MeSH descriptor record. Also known as AQs (allowable qualifiers).

  • Presented as full words and two-letter abbreviations

  • Qualifiers are hyperlinked to the specific qualifier record

  • Example: The record for Shellfish shows adverse effects (AE), analysis (AN), classification (CL), economics (EC), history (HI), microbiology (MI), parasitology (PS), radiation effects (RE), standards (ST), statistics & numerical data (SN), supply & distribution (SD), toxicity (TO), utilization (UT), virology (VI) are the allowable qualifiers that can be used in combination with this descriptor. It also shows the Descriptor to use in place of the prohibited Descriptor/Qualifier combination for poisoning (PO).

Screen capture of MeSH Browser showing a Qualifier Record with Record Type Q.



Last Reviewed: July 18, 2017