PubMed Ten-Tips Legacy: PubMed Tip 5: Saving Results

Select Articles

When reviewing search results, click in the box next to the PubMed record to select an item to store.

Click the Send to link on the top right hand side of the search results to open the destination options. Send to options work for the entire results set when no boxes are checked.

"Send to" Clipboard

The Clipboard provides temporary storage for selected items. It allows you to save citations from various searches so that you can move them to more permanent storage in one step.

Once you have added items to the Clipboard, a link to the items is posted just below the search box on the right hand side of the results screen.

Items placed on the clipboard have a red "Item in clipboard" notice at the bottom of the abstract.

At the end of your search session, click on the Clipboard: # items link to go to the Clipboard page. Use the Send to options on the Clipboard page to move your selections to a permanent place.

"Send to" Collections

PubMed provides access to a permanent storage space as part of a personal account called "My NCBI". When you select "Send to" Collections, you are prompted to sign in to My NCBI.

You can use your Onyen / Password to log-in  if you choose the "See more 3rd party sign in options" link, then select "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill" from the drop down list.

Once you have registered / signed in to My NCBI, you can create a new collection. You will be able to add more selections to this collection at any time. Be sure to name the collection so that you can identify it later.

To retrieve your collection when you start your next PubMed session, click on the Sign In to NCBI link at the very top of the right hand side of the screen. After you sign in, click on your user name next to the My NCBI Sign Out to access your collection.

"Send to" Email

The "Send to" Email option sends the article record. It does not send links to the full-text of the article.

The "Send to" Email option has a number of default settings. Be sure to review the default settings to make sure you receive the content you want.

• Format: Summary format only includes citation information. Select Abstract if you want to send more information. Text options will not include links back to the content in PubMed.
• Number to send:  Make sure this number is larger than the total number of items in your selection.

Open the Emailed Article Record in PubMed

• Non-text Summary or Abstract emailed article records will have a link to the content in PubMed. First open a library link to PubMed in your email program's default browser (for example, Internet Explorer or Firefox). Then click on the link to the article record in your email. You should see the Find @ UNC button on the article record in PubMed.
• Use the PMID# in the article record to search for it PubMed.

"Send to" Citation Manager

The "Send to" Citation Manager formats a file to download for import into a bibliographic reference program such as RefWorks or EndNote.

Detailed help for importing citations can be found here: Downloading from PubMed into EndNote