Medical Subject Headings - Home Page (original) (raw)

Welcome to Medical Subject Headings

The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus is a controlled and hierarchically-organized vocabulary produced by the National Library of Medicine. It is used for indexing, cataloging, and searching of biomedical and health-related information. MeSH includes the subject headings appearing in MEDLINE/PubMed, the NLM Catalog, and other NLM databases.

Recent MeSH Updates

Visit our What's New page to see all recent MeSH developments including the most recent ones listed below

• 2024 MeSH files are now in production
  • The MeSH Browser now displays 2023 MeSH and 2024 MeSH vocabularies
  • Reports of MeSH changes now appear on our What's New page
  • All 2023 MeSH files are now available on the MeSH Download Page or by downloading directly from the MeSH FTP
• MeSH in Resource Description Format(RDF)
  • MeSH RDF FTP now contain 2023 MeSH in RDF format
  • An open MeSH API is available for retrieving MeSH data
  • You can also use our SPARQL query editor for querying MeSH data

Obtain MeSH Data

• Download MeSH Data
• Lists of annual changes to MeSH
• MeSH on Demand
• Access RDF MeSH Data
• View MeSH Pubtypes

Learn About MeSH

• Tutorials and Webinars
• MeSH Vocabulary
  • Introduction to MeSH
  • Browser Instructions
  • Finding Keywords for Publications
  • MeSH Qualifiers List
  • MeSH Qualifiers with Scope Notes
  • Publication Characteristics (Publication Types) with Scope Notes
• Search and Retrieval using MeSH
  • Cataloging with MeSH Terminology
  • Searching PubMed® Using MeSH Search Terms
  • PubMed® Online Training

Related MeSH Efforts

• RxNorm: A drug vocabulary used for e-prescribing, formulary, medication history, government reporting, drug compendia mapping, and other uses
• Daily Med: Provides trustworthy information about marketed drugs in the United States
• Unified Medical Language System (UMLS®) Metathesaurus: A collection of biomedical names and codes grouped as sets of synonyms, derived from over 150 medical vocabulary sources.
• NLM Classification: A NLM vocabulary used for the arrangement of library materials in the field of medicine and related sciences.

User Input and Suggestions

• Make Suggestions for new MeSH vocabulary
• Corrections: Please let us know if you find a mistake in MeSH
• Downloading or Other Problems: Our technical staff can help

Archived Publications

• 2014 DailyMed/RxNorm Jamboree Workshop Last updated: September 29, 2014
• 2015 DailyMed/RxNorm Jamboree Workshop Last updated: October 14, 2015
• 2016 DailyMed/RxNorm Jamboree Workshop Last updated: November 11, 2018
• 2017 DailyMed/RxNorm Jamboree Workshop Last updated: November 11, 2018
• Alphabetic Listing of MeSH Last updated: December 6, 2016
• Changes in ASCII MeSH Format Last updated: April 9, 2016
• Deleted Descriptors - 2018 Last updated: January 6, 2017
• Files Available to Download Last updated: November 29, 2018
• MeSH Staff Presentations and Publications Last updated: June 22, 2016
• MeSH Staff Presentations and Publications (Archive) Last updated: April 24, 2013
• SPL/DailyMed Jamboree Workshop 2013 Last updated: December 3, 2016
• Use of Medical Subject Headings For Cataloging Last updated: October 29, 2019

Last Reviewed: January 22, 2024