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PubMed - an Introduction

An introduction to and guide for using PubMed - from basic research queries to in depth, personalized information discovery.

Save Search Strategies

There are several ways to save and share your search strategy. This can be helpful if you want to repeat or update the search later, and if you need to document your methodology.

  • From the Search results page, you can create an email alert or an RSS feed to save in your NCBI account. You can also copy the URL from your web browser’s address bar.

screenshot of PubMed search with url highlighted

  • From the Advanced Search builder, you have a couple of options. You can download a CSV file of your search history and details and save it to your desktop or send it to yourself.
  • To save the search in your NCBI account, select the ellipses under “actions” and then select “create alert”.

screenshot displaying PubMed advanced search with "actions" drop down menu

  • When you do this, you have the option of automatically rerunning the search at periodic intervals and sending you updated results by email.

screenshot displaying options to save search

  • You will also be able to retrieve, modify, and re-run the search from your NCBI dashboard.