Boxer Library
To run a basic search in Cochrane Library, use the search bar at the top right of the page. The search bar will automatically look for your search terms in the title, abstract, or keywords of a review or trial. Click the magnifying glass or hit the Enter key to run the search.
You can also click the Browse button to scroll through topics included in the database.
The Advanced Search section allows you to choose a search field; the default is Title Abstract Keyword, which looks for your term in the title, abstract, or keyword descriptors of an article or trial. You can choose a different option using the drop-down menu.
Click Run search to search a single term or Send to search manager to add additional terms
To search multiple terms, you need to use the Search Manager. Click on the plus (+) symbol to add another term.
Note: previous searches can remain in the Search Manager for up to two weeks, depending on your browser settings. To clear old searches, click the the minus ( - ) button next to each line, or click the Clear all button
Cochrane Library uses MeSH terms (just like PubMed and Ovid). To look up and add specific MeSh terms to your search, click on the Medical terms (MeSH) tab. Type in a term or select a term from the autocomplete suggestions and click Look up to see the full definition
The full definition will appear below the search bar. If you would like to add the term to your search, click Add to search manager
After adding the MeSH term to the Search manager, you can use the plus (+) sign to add additional terms. Use the S dropdown option after the term to change the search field. You can also add Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
A very detailed search can have multiple lines. If you want to combine search lines, type the number sign (#) and the line number into the field along with any other operators (example: #1 OR #2 would search for terms that occur on either line one or line two, returning more results than searching a single line). Click on the result number to the right of a search line to load the results below the Search Manager.
