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TSD / Cataloging and Metadata Management: Using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH®) in Cataloging

Module 4—Descriptors: Selecting the Main Concept(s)


Searching Examples

  • You have an item titled: "Skeletal Diseases"

  • Searching Skeletal Diseases in the browser gives you no retrieval as an Exact Match search and no relevant retrieval as an All Fragments search.

  • Here are two possible options to find the correct descriptor

Option 1

  • Think of a word with a similar root to skeletal, such as skeleton and try searching that in the MeSH Browser

Search Results

  • Annotation in this record leads you to search further using the word Bone

MeSH Browser and you are taken directly to the correct descriptor, Bone


  • Now search Bone Diseases and you retrieve the correct record

MeSH Browser and you are taken directly to the correct descriptor, Bone Diseases



Last Reviewed: July 27, 2017