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BIO 3352 & 4351: Research Methods in Biology

This is a guide to library resources for use in the BIO 3352 & BIO 4351: Research Methods in Biology course. Here you will find databases, electronic journals, tutorials, and other information.

What is MeSH?

 
MeSH stands for Medical Subject Headings and is the National Library of Medicine's controlled vocabulary thesaurus. It consists of sets of terms naming descriptors in a hierarchical structure that permits searching at various levels of specificity.

Why Use MeSH?

MeSH terms impose uniformity and consistency to the indexing of biomedical literature and are applied to citations when they are indexed for MEDLINE. This system offers three main advantages: 

  1. MeSH indexing facilitates the retrieval of relevant articles even when authors have used different words or spellings to describe the same topic. 
    • Lung cancer, lung tumor, lung neoplasm, and pulmonary cancer are all possible synonyms for the same topic. The MeSH term Lung Neoplasms covers all of the variations, saving you from having to type them all into your search.
  2. MeSH indexing increases the discoverability of citations.
    • If a citation has no abstract or otherwise does not effectively convey the topic(s) discussed in the article, MeSH indexing allows for discovery of this citation even by basic keyword searching.
  3. MeSH indexing facilitates searching of both the broad and the narrow simultaneously due to the existence of the MeSH hierarchy.

    • MeSH Headings, Subheadings and Publication Types are organized in hierarchies, or "MeSH trees".

      At the most general level of the hierarchy are very broad headings such as "Anatomy" or "Mental Disorders".  More specific headings are found at narrower levels of the hierarchy, such as "Ankle" and "Conduct Disorder".  A MeSH term can be part of one or more hierarchies.


More information can be found at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai's Why Use MeSH? Guide

What is a Controlled Vocabulary Thesaurus?

A controlled vocabulary thesaurus organizes a database into predetermined subject terms that everything about that subject falls under. You do not have to guess among a host of terms that are similar in meaning to find relevant articles.

Examples MeSH Subject Term
flu Influenza, Human
allergies Hypersensitivity
Wheat allergy Wheat Hypersensitivity
Coranavirus COVID-19, or Coronavirus
Hayfever Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal
Monkeypox Monkeypox
RSV Respiratory Syncytial Viruses

MeSH Browser

Medical Subject Headings MeSH Browser is the search engine for the MeSH Thesaurus.

image of the Medical Subject Headings search pageThe

MeSH Browser Overview teachings you how to search the vocabulary with the MeSH Browser.

MeSH Tree Structure

Main headings are organized in a "tree" with 16 main branches.

  • A. Anatomy
  • B. Organisms
  • C. Diseases
  • D. Chemicals and Drugs
  • E. Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment
  • F. Psychiatry and Psychology
  • G. Phenomena and Processes
  • H. Disciplines and Occupations
  • I. Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena
  • J. Technology, Industry, Agriculture
  • K. Humanities
  • L. Information Science
  • M. Named Groups
  • N. Health Care
  • V. Publication Characteristics
  • Z. Geographicals

Each branch has many levels of sub-branches, and each heading has a position in the hierarchy. For example:

Tree Structure for Mountain Cedar

Organisms [B]
Eukaryota [B01]
Viridiplantae [B01.875]
Streptophyta [B01.875.800]
Embryophyta [B01.875.800.575]
Tracheophyta [B01.875.800.575.912]
Pinales [B01.875.800.575.912.625]
Cupressaceae [B01.875.800.575.912.625.750]
Juniperus [B01.875.800.575.912.625.750.500]

 

Preview of Tree Structure for Mountain Cedar in the MeSH Browser