How to use online database ID numbers
- Julie Noelke (Unlicensed)
If a small number of individual publications do not fit your usual search terms for any reason, it is not necessary to change your search settings in order to ensure they are found in the online databases.
The databases below have a system of identification codes for their online records, and these can be found via their web interfaces and then entered into your search settings screen for download.
The area for entering database IDs is found within the ‘Common search terms’ section of the My search settings screen.
Enter an ID into the text box, select the appropriate database from the drop-down menu and click on the ‘plus’ button to add it to the list.
Save the search settings when you have finished entering IDs.
What happens next?
All the IDs you have added will be submitted in the next online search of the appropriate database(s), sometime ‘after 30 minutes’ from the time when you save the search settings screen (see above for more about this intentional delay).
The new publications pulled from the database will be put in the ‘pending’ area of your records, along with any other publications found, and you will receive an email alert.
You will need to approve all the publications found using this method for them to appear in your publications list. The IDs that have successfully brought in publications will disappear from your search settings screen once the publication details have been downloaded.
Finding IDs for each database
PubMed
PubMed shows ID numbers next to each record in the search results listing, as well as prominently on each individual publication screen.
The ‘PMID’ number is usually 8 digits long (do not include the phrase “PMID” in the ID field within Symplectic Elements).
Web of Science
The Web of Science uses the "Accession Number" which displays in the citation record.
The Accession Number for the record shown is “000335672600003” (do not include quotes or the word “WOS” in the ID field within Elements).
ArXiv
The ArXiv web interface shows IDs next to each record in the search results, as well as prominently on each individual publication screen.
The ArXiv ID is in this form: • 1002.2745 (Do not include the phrase “arXiv” in the ID field within Elements). ArXiv IDs are shown in the search results:
