Getting the Most out of PubMed Medline: Proximity Searching

Proximity searching enables users to search for multiple terms appearing in any order within a specified distance of one another in the [Title] or [Title/Abstract] fields.

To create a proximity search in PubMed, enter terms using the following format:
"search terms"[field:~N]

Search terms = Two or more words enclosed in double quotes

Field = The search field tag for the [Title] or [Title/Abstract] fields

N = The maximum number of words that may appear between the search terms

Example: Search PubMed for citations where the terms "hip" and "pain" appear with no more than two words between them in the Title search field, enter

"hip pain"[Title/Abstract:~2]

That search will find citations that have the phrases hip pain, hip-related pain, pain in the right hip, and more.

To learn more about proximity searching, click on the image to the right for a brief video tutorial!