Retrieve PubMed Citations

Base URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

To retrieve results in HTML or text format use PMIDs.

• Retrieval parameters:
  • report=display format (DocSum (default display, except for a single citation), Abstract, MEDLINE, XML
  • format=text (HTML is the default format.)
  • tool=resource
  • email=address

Example:

Retrieve a PubMed citation by PMID and display in the abstract format:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18276894

Retrieve a PubMed citation by PMID and display in MEDLINE text format:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18276894,18276893?report=medline&format=text

Search PubMed

Use search to create a web link for terms with or without Boolean operators. “Escape” spaces by converting them to plus signs (+), e.g., Biochem Soc Trans should be entered as: Biochem+Soc+Trans.

• Search parameters:
  • term=search term(s) (PubMed Help)
  • report=display format (DocSum (default display, except for a single citation), abstract, MEDLINE, XML
  • dispmax=number of citations to display if other than 20
  • tool=resource
  • email=address

Example:

Search PubMed for articles about antioxidant and chocolate:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=antioxidant+chocolate

• activating filters (PubMed Help):
  • cmd_current=Limits
  • pmfilter_filter name = filter value
• turning off filters
  • pubmedfilters=true

Examples:

PubMed:
Search PubMed for articles about hay fever published in 2006 and display the first 50 citations:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=hay+fever+AND+2006[pdat]&dispmax=50

Search PubMed for articles about AZT filtered to the AIDS subset:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=azt&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_Subsets=AIDS

Turn off PubMed filters and search for articles about hay fever displayed in the abstract format:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=hay+fever&pubmedfilters=true&report=abstract

Link

Display the related records or NCBI databse links for records using unique identifiers (UIDs), you may not use accession numbers.

Base URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

• link parameters:
  • /database searched (URL parameter is case sensitive)
  • LinkName=database_database
  • from_uid=id
  • tool=resource
  • email=address

Examples:

Search for similar articles for PMID 27328974:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?linkname=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=27328974

Search for Nucleotide links from PMID 27316672:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore?LinkName=pubmed_nuccore&from_uid=27316672

Search for PubMed links from Nucleotide ID 55417888:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?LinkName=nuccore_pubmed&from_uid=55417888

Tool

A string with no internal spaces that identifies the resource that is using the database links. This argument is used to help NCBI provide better service to third parties generating NCBI database queries from programs. As with any query system, it is sometimes possible to ask the same question different ways, with different effects on performance. NCBI requests that developers sending batch requests include a constant 'tool' argument for all requests using the utilities.

Example: tool=resource

Email Address

If you choose to provide an email address we will use it to contact you if there are problems with your queries.

Example: email=name@institution.org

In addition, NCBI posts general announcements regarding the E-utilities to the utilities announcement mailing list. This mailing list is an announcement list only; individual subscribers may not send mail to the list. The list of subscribers is private and is not shared or used in any other way except for providing announcements to list members. The list receives about one posting per month. Please subscribe at the above link.

PubMed Feature Pages

• Advanced: /advanced
• Clipboard: /clipboard
• Details: /details
• Clinical Queries: /clinical

To preset the PubMed Clinical Queries Medical Genetics or Clinical Study Categories use the following URL paramters:

Clinical Study Categories

• #clincat=category,scope

category= etiology, diagnosis, therpy, prognosis, clinical prediction guides

scope = broad, narrow

Medical Genetics

• #medgen=topic

topic=diagnosis, differential diagnosis, clinical description, management, genetic counseling, molecular genetics, genetic testing

Examples:

Search for articles about cancer limited to the clinical study category of prognosis/narrow and the medical genetics topic of differential diagnosis:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/clinical?term=cancer#clincat=prognosis,narrow;medgen=differential+diagnosis

Search for articles about cystic fibrosis limited to the medical genetics topic of genetic counseling:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/clinical?term=cystic fibrosis#medgen=genetic+counseling