How do you search in LILACS database?
Searching with words
The LILACS database is integrated into the search interface of the VHL Regional Portal as seen in the figure to the side.
Some important and basic instructions to ensure that you are looking in the LILACS database and that you are doing it properly:
- Always check if the database chosen is LILACS.
- The simple search will always search the "title, abstract and subject" fields.
- Include only meaningful words in the search. Items, prepositions and other particles should be excluded.
Example "Heat stress in Primary Health Care: a clinical review", include heat stress primary health care clinical review and the record of this document will already be found. As it is a specific title, if you include only stress heat primary health care you will already identify this record. - Word accentuation is not necessary and capital letters are not considered.
Composite or exact concepts must be made with quotes.
Example: "Healthcare Financing" dá igual a "healthcare financing " if between quotes

Searching on specific fields
To perform a specific search for a LILACS field, type the codes of the fields you want to use:
- ti: title words - example ti: stress heat primary health care
- ta: abbreviated title of the magazine - example ta: "Braz. dent. sci"
To know the abbreviated title of the journal, you must search the Portal of scientific journals of the VHL. - mh: document subject descriptors - example mh: "Healthcare Financing"
The search result was 1,163 records. - mj: primary descriptors of this document - example mj: "Healthcare Financing"
The search result was 866 records.

More about search strategy
For more information about searching in LILACS, use the search material on the VHL Regional Portal!
Online course
Acceso y Uso de la Información en Ciencias de la Salud (in Spanish)