Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

MEDLINE Indexing Online Training Course

Check Tags

Animal

  • Any article discussing an animal must have the check tag ANIMAL.
  • Index also the specific animal (rats, mice, etc) using the check tag (if available) or the main heading for the animal IM or NIM as needed.
  • If an article describes the use of tissue from an animal, index with the check tag ANIMAL and the name of the animal (as a check tag or a main heading).
  • Use the check tag ANIMAL even if the IM term is animal specific, such as "HOOF" or "UDDER"
If an animal is Index using Example Index the animal as
A veterinary entity The animal as an IM heading Humoral immunity in sheep SHEEP (IM) ANIMAL (check tag)
An experimental subject for which there is a check tag check tag Animal and specific animal check tag Response of cultured hamster cells to x-ray ANIMAL (check tag) check tag HAMSTER
An experimental subject for which there is no check tag check tag Animal and specific animal main heading Action potential of Anura neuromuscular junction ANIMAL check tag ANURA (NIM)
An animal is the main point of an article such as a species in anatomy studies The animal as an IM heading and the animal check tag Anatomy of cat joints CATS (IM)
ANIMAL check tag

Last Reviewed: April 15, 2015