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Hello all, This is not a new Boolean rule in searching PubMed. The all caps AND and the option of lower case or/not has been the NLM rule for quite some time dating back at least to the beginning or first few years of the decade. Samuel L. Johnson Library Director/Adjunct Professor Saba University School of Medicine Netherlands Antilles [log in to unmask] 011-599 416 3456 ext. 237 > Thanks to all for this discussion and clarification. I was working > on a lecture for a systematic review class. I'd developed a way to > search for SRs in PubMed but used lower case "or" and "and". > > When I changed to upper case, my results were quite different. I > cannot believe the counter-intuitive, illogical search rules for > PubMed. I'll be sure to point this out to my class, along with a > comparison between the two searches and an Ovid Medline search. > > Helena > > Helena M. VonVille, MLS, MPH > Library Director > University of Texas School of Public Health > Houston, TX > [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> > 713-500-9131 > 713-500-9125 (fax) > ________________________________________ > From: Medical Libraries Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] On > Behalf Of Lee Hover [[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 7:06 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: The plot thickens: PubMed's all caps Boolean rule? > > Leave it to NLM! Do we really want to devote that much thought to what > should require none? I'll just use caps as always & say the heck with it. > (Actually, that's NOT what I'll say, but let's keep it clean!) > > Lee Hover, D. Med. Hum. > Information Developers > Boonton Twp., NJ > > -----Original Message----- > From: Medical Libraries Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On > Behalf Of Feddern-Bekcan, Tanya > Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 3:11 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: The plot thickens: PubMed's all caps Boolean rule? > > Thanks to Cheryl Hamill from Australia for pointing this out: > http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/mj07/mj07_mla_qa.html > > So why is NLM telling us differently? I'd spoken to a nice NLM librarian > who swore up and down that it was still required. Grrrr. I don't want to > be teaching my patrons do to an extra step if they don't have to. > http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=helppubmed&part=pubmedhel > p#pubmedhelp.Combining_search_ter > > Take care, > > Tanya > > > > Tanya Feddern-Bekcan, MLIS, AHIP, MOT, OTR/L > (<http://www.geocities.com/nqiya/libraryarticles.html>formerly Tanya > Feddern) > 305.243.3999 - [log in to unmask] - 305.325.9670 (fax) > > EBM Theme Director, Reference and Education Librarian, & Occupational > Therapist > > Louis Calder Memorial Library @ the University of Miami Miller School of > Medicine > > > > "A library without a librarian is a reading room."-- Jenny Garcia of the > University of Wyoming, MLS, AHIP > > ________________________________ > From: Feddern-Bekcan, Tanya > Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 12:06 AM > To: Medlib ([log in to unmask]); [log in to unmask]; > [log in to unmask] > Subject: PubMed's all caps Boolean rule? > > ***cross-posted; feel free to repost*** > > Hello, everyone. I spoke with a librarian at NLM a couple of days ago. She > says that despite rumor, PubMed still requires Boolean to be in all capital > letters. Their documentation still states this: > http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=helppubmed&part=pubmedhel > p#pubmedhelp.Combining_search_ter > "Enter Boolean operators in uppercase characters to combine or exclude > search terms..." > > However, this seems to only be an issue when combining two or more terms > with field tags (as shown below). Everything else seems to work. Could > anyone please come up with an example whereby searching with lowercase > Boolean leads to poor results? > > #66<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search common cold and (vitamin c or zinc) > 23:40:21 382<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #65<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search common cold and (vitamin c OR zinc) > 23:40:14 382<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #64<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search common cold AND (vitamin c OR zinc) > 23:40:06 382<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #71 Search Wounds and Injuries and infection 38881 hits > #70 Search Wounds and Injuries AND infection 38881 hits > #67 Search common cold AND (vitamin c or zinc) 382 hits > #66 Search common cold and (vitamin c or zinc) 382 hits > #65 Search common cold and (vitamin c OR zinc) 382 hits > #64 Search common cold AND (vitamin c OR zinc) 382 hits > #63 Search dna and multiple sclerosis 1518 hits > #62 Search dna AND multiple sclerosis 1518 hits > #61 Search dna [mh] and multiple sclerosis [mh] 0 hits > #60 Search dna [mh] AND multiple sclerosis [mh] 415 hits > #59 Search dna [mh] and crick [au] 0 hits > #58 Search dna [mh] AND crick [au] 34 hits > #57 Search arthritis not letter [pt] 186125 hits > #56 Search arthritis NOT letter [pt] 186125 hits > #55 Search #45 and #47 711 hits > #54 Search #45 AND #47 711 hits > #63<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna and multiple sclerosis > 23:25:16 1518<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #62<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna AND multiple sclerosis > 23:25:09 1518<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #61<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] and multiple sclerosis [mh] > 23:22:42 0<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #60<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] AND multiple sclerosis [mh] > 23:22:37 415<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #59<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] and crick [au] 23:19:23 > 0<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #58<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] AND crick [au] 23:19:18 > 34<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #57<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search arthritis not letter [pt] > 23:18:58 186125<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #56<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search arthritis NOT letter [pt] > 23:18:52 186125<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #63<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna and multiple sclerosis > 23:25:16 1518<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #62<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna AND multiple sclerosis > 23:25:09 1518<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #61<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] and multiple sclerosis [mh] > 23:22:42 0<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #60<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] AND multiple sclerosis [mh] > 23:22:37 415<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #59<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] and crick [au] 23:19:23 > 0<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #58<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] AND crick [au] 23:19:18 > 34<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #57<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search arthritis not letter [pt] > 23:18:58 186125<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #56<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search arthritis NOT letter [pt] > 23:18:52 186125<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #63<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna and multiple sclerosis > 23:25:16 1518<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #62<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna AND multiple sclerosis > 23:25:09 1518<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #61<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] and multiple sclerosis [mh] > 23:22:42 0<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #60<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] AND multiple sclerosis [mh] > 23:22:37 415<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #59<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] and crick [au] 23:19:23 > 0<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #58<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search dna [mh] AND crick [au] 23:19:18 > 34<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #57<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search arthritis not letter [pt] > 23:18:58 186125<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #56<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search arthritis NOT letter [pt] > 23:18:52 186125<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #55<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search #45 and #47 23:13:15 > 711<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > #54<UrlBlockedError.aspx> Search #45 AND #47 23:13:08 > 711<UrlBlockedError.aspx> > If this is only an issue when combining two or more field tags, since we > don't teach our patrons to search with field tags, I'm seriously considering > having them use lowercase Boolean like nearly all the other databases do. > > Take care, > > Tanya > > Tanya Feddern-Bekcan, MLIS, AHIP, MOT, OTR/L > (<http://www.geocities.com/nqiya/libraryarticles.html>formerly Tanya > Feddern) > 305.243.3999 - [log in to unmask] - 305.325.9670 (fax) > > EBM Theme Director, Reference and Education Librarian, & Occupational > Therapist > > Louis Calder Memorial Library @ the University of Miami Miller School of > Medicine > > > > "A library without a librarian is a reading room."-- Jenny Garcia of the > University of Wyoming, MLS, AHIP > > > __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature > database 4782 (20100118) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. > > http://www.eset.com