Sladen Blog

Get to Know: Embase

You may be familiar with using PubMed to locate articles when doing a literature search, but how familiar are you with Embase?

Depending on your research question, your search efforts may benefit from checking Embase. Here’s why:

• Embase includes all journals in Medline (the largest portion of PubMed), plus an additional 2,900 journals that are not included in Medline.

By expanding the "Source" filter, you can see how Embase and Medline coverage intersects in your results - and which results are unique to each database.

• Embase covers more than 11,500 medical conferences. Conference abstracts are not included in PubMed or Medline, so if you need to locate conference abstracts, Embase is the place to do it. (Web of Science is also useful to search for conference abstracts.)
• Detailed indexing of articles on drugs. If you’re doing a search about a drug, it’s always a good idea to include a search in Embase. Drugs can be searched by trade or generic names.
  • Embase has an enhanced focus on adverse drug reaction literature. There is even a “PV Wizard” (pharmacovigilance) tool on the site that can help novice searchers execute a thorough search for articles on adverse reactions to a drug.    
• Detailed indexing of articles about medical devices. Embase contains more references to medical device manufacturer literature than Medline.
• Searching can be done by simple keyword or advanced search using Emtree index terms. A quick reference guide for getting started with searching is available.
• Sladen’s content coverage for Embase runs from 1974 to the present day. If your search requires earlier coverage, also check PubMed/Medline, which dates back to 1946.

In addition to the search features discussed above, Embase is integrated with Find It @ Sladen full-text article links, LibKey Nomad (which is awesome and you should be using if not already), tools to direct export results into Endnote, and the ability to receive your search results in an email or Word document. Some functions, such as the ability to save searches, require a free personal account that can be set up within the database. Embase is an Elsevier product, so if you already have an Elsevier personal account for ClinicalKey or Clinical Pharmacology, you can use those same credentials to login to an Embase personal account.

Embase is a sophisticated, yet intuitive database that has much to offer when you need a comprehensive literature search. If you would like more information on searching Embase, please reach out to a Sladen Librarian.