s part of the NLM's effort to ensure that the information we provide online is accessible to all users, the National Center for Biotechnology Information is currently developing a text version of PubMed. The PubMed Text Version will provide basic PubMed search and retrieval functionality and was created specifically for users who require assistive technology to access and use PubMed. The text-based page design and easy-to-use navigational controls will help simplify the process of searching and reviewing the results in PubMed.

The features of the PubMed Text Version will be similar to some of the features of PubMed. It will provide a query box for entering search terms. A History pull-down menu will offer access to the last five searches. Like the full-featured version of PubMed, the results of a search will be initially displayed in a Summary format. Citations can also be viewed in the Abstract and LinkOut formats.

Watch the NLM Technical Bulletin for the announcement of the release of the PubMed Text Version.

By Katherine Junium
MEDLARS Management Section

Junium K. Plans for an Accessible Version of PubMed. NLM Tech Bull. 2001 Jul-Aug;(321):e6.