What are MeSH headings? What can I use them for?
Answer
The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus is a controlled vocabulary created by the National Library of Medicine.
MeSH headings can be used instead of keywords when cataloging, indexing, or searching for biomedical or other health information. MeSH headings are especially helpful when searching within PubMed, Medline, the National Library of Medicine Catalog, and other National Library of Medicine databases.
For example, if you want to find information on cancer of the jaw, the actual MeSH term is "Jaw Neoplasms." Using the MeSH heading “Jaw Neoplasms” can help you narrow down your search results.
For more information on MeSH headings, visit the National Library of Medicine's website.
