Database names rarely indicate the years of coverage
Don't confuse the name of the database with the years of coverage
Database content constantly changes and records are added retrospectively so years of coverage are fluid.
It is important to understand that the years indicated in a database name – such as Ovid MEDLINE(R) ALL <1946 to present> often refer to the date the catalogue started (1946 in this case) and not to the date of the earliest publications indexed in the database, which in Medline go back to the late 1700s.
For many bibliographic databases it is not possible to accurately define the years of coverage. That is why we keep these records for systematic reviews:
the full name of the database on the day you searched it eg Ovid MEDLINE(R) ALL 1946 to August 11, 2020 (copy and paste this from the database when you are searching it - in Ovid it sits above the search box)
Years of coverage are constantly changing in most databases, and old publications are often added retrospectively. This is the best indication of coverage that we have been able to research, as at 29 July 2022. We checked official database guides and also ran tests in each database, including checking provided year limits. Please note that there appears to be no definitive answer.
Ovid MEDLINE(R) ALL 1946 to present
Indexed (catalogued) retrospectively from 1946 to present.
Early publications date back to 1781 while new records include pre-prints yet to be published.
Both older and newer records continue to be added.
The range of publication dates is fluid and does not indicate complete journal coverage.
Note: Years of coverage listed in the official database guide (1946 to present) do not reflect much older dates of retrieved publications (1781), or year of publication limits in the database itself (1860 to present).
Embase 1974 to present (Ovid)
Indexed (catalogued) retrospectively from 1974 to present. Note: Indexing may be from 1947 if you have Embase Classic.
Early publications date back to 1883 while new records include pre-prints yet to be published.
Both older and newer records continue to be added.
The range of publication dates is fluid and does not indicate complete journal coverage.
Note: Years of coverage listed in the official database guide (1974 to present) do not reflect much older dates of retrieved publications (1883), or year of publication limits in the database itself (1883 to present).
Ovid Emcare 1995 to present
Indexed (catalogued) retrospectively from 1995 to present.
Early records date back to 1917 and new records continue to be added
The range of publication dates is fluid and does not indicate complete journal coverage.
Note: Years of coverage listed in the official database guide (1995 to present) do not reflect much older dates of retrieved records (1917), or year of publication limits in the database itself (1917 to present).
Ovid Nursing Database 1946 to present
Indexed (catalogued) retrospectively from 1946 to present.
Early records date back to 1908 and new records continue to be added
The range of publication dates is fluid and does not indicate complete journal coverage.
Note: Based on year of publication limits in the database itself (1908 to present). Official years of coverage not located.
APA PsycINFO (Ovid)
Indexed (catalogued) retrospectively from 1806 to present.
Early records date back to 1707 and new records continue to be added
The range of publication dates is fluid and does not indicate complete journal coverage. Note: Years of coverage listed in the official database guide (1806 to present) do not reflect much older dates of retrieved records (1707), or year of publication limits in the database itself (1860 to present)
CINAHL (EBSCOhost)
Years of coverage not provided.
Note: Earliest indexing for Year of Publication field is 1954.
Cochrane Library
Not defined.
Many records are sourced from Medline and Embase, so dates are likely to reflect those database coverages.
