5. How MeSH Works

The MeSH lexicon contains over 24,000 terms. Each year, new terms are added to define new medical trends and concepts. Professional indexers perform subject analysis for each MEDLINE record:

Each journal article is described with 10-12 MeSH terms. Additionally, 1 or 2 terms are designated as the major MeSH topics for each article.

Articles are indexed with the most specific terms available, helping you to retrieve the most accurate results. Example: an article on the topic Bronchitis would NOT be described with the broader term Respiratory Tract Diseases.