# How is ScholarIQ different from PubMed?

PubMed is the free biomedical index from the National Library of Medicine, with MeSH.

Site: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

## Where they differ

For a clinical question, PubMed is still the index you name in the protocol. MeSH is the controlled vocabulary.

PubMed does not answer in a paragraph, and it does not keep a screening record. ScholarIQ can sit beside that search, not replace the protocol's named database.

| | ScholarIQ | PubMed |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Free tier. No department contract. | Free. |
| Search | 470 million articles from OpenAlex, ORCID and PubMed. | Biomedical search with MeSH. |
| Answer | Plain language, each claim linked to a source. | None. A result list. |
| Screen | Named reviewer, time, rationale, source passage. | None. |

ScholarIQ is the better fit for The cited answer and the screen, including records you upload from PubMed.

PubMed is the better fit for The protocol search for a biomedical review.

## How is ScholarIQ different from PubMed?

PubMed does not answer in a paragraph, and it does not keep a screening record. ScholarIQ can sit beside that search, not replace the protocol's named database.

## What does PubMed do that ScholarIQ does not?

For a clinical question, PubMed is still the index you name in the protocol. MeSH is the controlled vocabulary.

## Who should use which?

ScholarIQ is the better fit for The cited answer and the screen, including records you upload from PubMed. PubMed is the better fit for The protocol search for a biomedical review.

## Can I use ScholarIQ and PubMed in the same review?

Yes. Keep PubMed for Biomedical search with MeSH. Put the include or exclude in ScholarIQ. The record shows the named reviewer, the time, the rationale, and the source passage.

## Do I name PubMed in the methods?

Yes, if you searched there. Also name ScholarIQ if the decision sits there. A reader must be able to open the same record.

## Can a student start without a university license?

ScholarIQ does not need a department contract. PubMed: Free.

## What do I lose if I leave PubMed?

For a clinical question, PubMed is still the index you name in the protocol. MeSH is the controlled vocabulary.

## Does either tool write the review?

No. PubMed returns None. A result list. ScholarIQ returns a cited answer. You write the sentence.

## Where is the decision record?

On the ScholarIQ record: named reviewer, timestamp, rationale, source passage. PubMed: None.

## Can I upload a file from PubMed?

Yes, if it is a citation file. You then see that file in the same queue as the OpenAlex results.

## Which tool do I open first?

Open PubMed if you already have a list. Open ScholarIQ if you have a question and no file.

## Is the answer a substitute for the paper?

No. Open the citation. The passage is on the record so a second person can check the claim.

## What can a supervisor check?

The question, the search, each include or exclude, and the passage. You see the queue, the conflicts, and the agreement while the stage is still open.