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STAGE 4 generate A-list |||||| STAGE 5 edit A-list
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING INPUT FILES
Acceptable Medline sources are PubMed or OVID.
PubMed formats: MEDLINE recommended, or SUMMARY
OVID formats: Complete record.
Prior to entering Stage 1, conduct a MEDLINE title-word and
subject heading search for the word or term denoted by A. Download
results to your local computer.
Follow a similar procedure for
C. The two files created are called File A and File C.
RECOMMENDED FILE SIZES (A,C): 100 to 6000 records (approx)
Warning: File sizes over 10,000 records may undergo abbreviated processing, and not produce the full set of results.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR STAGE 1
When both File C and File A are ready, go to the
main data input form (STAGE 1),
where you will see 3 windows. In the first window, enter your
email address (OR, if you prefer, enter any string of 5 or more
charcters terminated by the "@" symbol). In the second window, enter
the name you gave to File C. In the third window, enter the name you
gave to File A.
Then press SEND.
If you choose "hypothesis generation" mode, proceed to Stage 4 after the Stage 1 results are completed. Stage 2 editing is optional and is now partially automated.
Stage 1 will automatically assign you a randomly generated 4-letter code that you can subsequently use instead of your email address when you log in.
Stage 1 produces as output one or more lists (called "B-LISTs") of all the important words and phrases or terms that are common to the two sets of titles. Each entry in a B-list is also a link. Clicking on any B-term "X" results in displaying the corresponding titles that contain both A and "X", adjacent to all titles that contain "X" and C. The highlighted PMID-number for each title is a link to the full PubMed record.
The output (B-LIST and title-files) will be available within 1 to 4 minutes depending on the size of your two input files. Results will be held for at least 3 days (longer on request), but will be overwritten by any new problem that you enter into Stage 1.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR STAGE 2 (PubMed SUMMARY format only)
If you wish to edit your B-list output from the SUMMARY format, go
to STAGE 2 .
Enter either
the 4-letter code assigned to you in Stage 1, OR your email address
(this must be the same address you entered in Stage 1). You will see
a scrolling window. Go through the window clicking on each term you
wish to delete (many will be obviously non-useful).
You may enter Stage 2 as many times as you wish, each time to delete more terms. You can undo all deletions by pressing an "undo" button. Your B-list may contain from a few up to several thousand terms depending on the sizes of your input files.
You may also reorganize the B-list by forming groups; it is helpful to bring together synonyms and related terms. You may also make further deletions when in the grouping mode. To undo all groupings, re-enter Stage 2 (deletions will not be affected). Deletions and group formation are also available from Stage 3.
STAGE 3
At STAGE 3 you can later repeatedly view the files produced by all other stages.
STAGES 4, 5 (PubMed SUMMARY format only)
STAGE 4 is used to develop a conjecture-list of A-terms based on a broad-category hypothesis chosen for File A at the main-input stage. STAGE 5 enables editing the Stage 4 output.
Questions? Contact d-swanson@uchicago.edu