The BioethicsLine database includes English-lanugage materials on bioethics selected from the literature of medicine, nursing, biology, philosophy, religion, law, and the behavioral sciences.
Selections from popular literature are also included. Items in BioethicsLine include journal and newspaper articles, monographs, court decisions, bills, laws and audiovisuals. Approximately 100 primary sources and 40 indexes or databases are regularly searched for citations to add to BioethicsLine.
BioethicsLine is developed jointly by the Kennedy Institute of Ethics and the National Library of Medicine.
The following alphabetical list provides the two-letter label, the relevant alias, and an example for each BioethicsLine field.
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Label Name/Example
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ab Abstract
example 1: assisted suicide.ab.
example 2: values.ab.
au Authors
example 1: smith j c.au.
example 2: smith j david.au.
example 3: smith $.au.
bk Book Citation
example: cloning.bk.
ca Corporate Author
example: dna advisory.ca.
co Collation
example 1: beta.co.
example 2: vhs.co.
dp Date of Publication
example 1: june.dp.
example 2: 1994.dp.
em Entry Month
example: 8401.em.
hw Heading Word
example: ethics.hw.
ib ISBN
example: 0-02-361200-2.ib.
is ISSN
example: 0028-4793.is.
jc NLM Journal Code
example: now.jc.
jn Journal Name
example 1: internist.jn.
example 2: new englan$.jn.
jw Journal Word
example 1: ethics.jw.
example 2: medical ethics.jw.
kf Keyword Word
example: ethics.kf.
kw Keywords
example 1: ethics.kw.
example 2: ethics advisory board.kw.
example 3: "ethics advisory board*".kw.
example 4: clinical approach.kw.
example 5: hp.kw.
nt Notes
example: bibliography.nt.
pb Publisher
example: plenum.pb.
pg Pagination
example: 22.pg.
pl Place of Publication
example: boston.pl.
pt Publication Type
example: court decision.pt.
sh Medical Subject Headings
example 1: ethics.sh.
example 2: ethics committees/
example 3: ethics medical.sh.
ti Title
example: cloning.ti.
example: assisted suicide.ti.
tw Textword
example: ethical code.tw.
ui Unique Identifier
example: 00039360.ui.
vo Volume
example: 5.vo.
yr Publication Year
example 1: 1994.yr.
example 2: 94.yr.
The following are the Ovid limits for the Bioethicsline database. Both forms of syntax for applying the limit directly at the command line are given where relevant.
Limit Name Example
Abstracts
Command Syntax: ..l/ ab=y
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to abstracts
Broad Subject Captions...
Sentence Syntax examples:
limit 1 to "bioethics and professional ethics"
limit 1 to bioethics
limit 1 to "mental health therapies and behavior control"
limit 1 to mental
General Subject Captions...
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to clinical approach
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to clinical
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to religious approach
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to religious
Journal Articles
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to journal articles
Latest Update
Command Syntax: ..l/1 to up=y
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to update
Publication Types...
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to analytic
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to court decision
Publication Year
Command Syntax: ..l/1 yr=93
Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to yr=93
Change to Bioethicsline from another database
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Command Syntax: ..c/bioe
Sentence Syntax: use bioe