Quick Guide To VHL Research

Welcome to the VHL Search Quick Guide!

The search box on the home page is the gateway to research. After typing one or more words, click on the magnifying glass to view the search results.

Check the example:

When placing a word or compound terms "in quotes", the system searches for the exact occurrence of everything that is between the quotes.

Check the example:

To search for derivations of a word, use the asterisk * after the word stem. By adding the asterisk in Diabet*, for example, the system retrieves diabetes, diabetic, diabetics. Likewise, when using the asterisk in Brazil*, the system retrieves Brazilian, Brazilian, etc.

Check the example:

Note: Using the asterisk does not work for terms in quotes. No need to worry about accents.

The AND search operator combines terms so that they are all retrieved in the same document. Check the example:

Note: the AND operator is the system standard, which makes it optional to type between terms.
The OR search operator matches the terms by retrieving at least one of the terms in the document. In the search, the OR operator must be written between the terms. Check the example:
Terms typed after the AND NOT search operator are excluded from the search result, as in the following example:
Parentheses ( ) must be applied whenever different search operators are used. As with mathematical logic, they establish the order of operation in the search system, as in the example:
Note: Use parentheses for expressions that apply the AND and OR operators in the same search.

Search refinement

You can directly select in the search box the option to search by: Title, Author, Subject Descriptor, Abstract. Enter the search terms, select the option and click on the magnifying glass. See the example:
Or type, in front of the term, ti: for title; au: for author; ab: for summary; mh: for subject descriptor or tw: for title, abstract and subject. See the example:
On the search results page, select the desired Filter and click the FILTER button. You can include/exclude filters in MORE FILTERS button, select and click APPLY. Look at the example:

Search tips

Start the search with a few words/phrases and then use filters to refine the result.

Choose the most relevant words/phrases to represent your research topic.

Uppercase or lowercase letters, as well as accents, make NO difference in the search result.

The search in the DeCS/MeSH subject descriptor field can be done in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French.

About DeCS/MeSH

The DeCS (Descriptors in Health Sciences) is a controlled and structured vocabulary in four languages in the health area. DeCS is an expanded translation of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).

Descriptors are used to represent the subject of documents indexed in the main health databases included in the VHL, such as MEDLINE and LILACS.  

To access the DeCS page, click the button below:

access here

Now that you know how to search the VHL, access the portal by clicking on the button below:

access here
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