Use of Qualifiers

• Not every qualifier is permitted for use with every descriptor


• The Descriptor tree categories are a general guide to which qualifiers are permitted with certain descriptors. A list of qualifiers by allowable category is available here


• However, there are many exceptions, so the cataloger should always check the qualifiers list found in each descriptor record in the MeSH Browser


• Geographicals from the Z tree have only two possible qualifiers:
  
  • epidemiology
    
  • ethnology
  
  
• Qualifiers are never used with names, work titles, or publication characteristics


• Annotations in the MeSH Browser record may provide guidance on when and how to use certain qualifiers. These are guidelines, rather than hard and fast rules


• Also check the Entry Combination field in the MeSH Browser record for the descriptor to see if there is a pre-coordinated descriptor for the concept

Annotation and Entry Combination Example