Question: What is the difference between MedlinePlus and MEDLINE/PubMed?

Answer:

MedlinePlus:

• Is a health information Web site for patients, families and other consumers.


• Contains carefully selected links to Web resources with authoritative health information on over 900 health topics, as well as dictionaries, directories, organizations, and news stories.


• Provides access to medical information via:
• The A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia
• The Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary
• Information on prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements and herbal remedies
• Interactive health tutorials


• Contains links to preformulated searches of the MEDLINE/PubMed database, allowing you to find references to latest health professional articles on your topic.

MEDLINE/PubMed:

• Is a database of professional biomedical literature.


• Is a Web-based, searchable database of over 17 million article references published in more than 5000 biomedical journals and magazines.


• Can be searched for free.


• Includes links to some full-text journal articles via publishers' Web pages.
• Publisher access to articles varies by publisher. Some provide access for free; others charge for articles or require a subscription.

Return to the list of MedlinePlus FAQs