Comparison of the Medline (txt), Medline (XML), and RIS format

The Medline (txt) format can be used by a simple text document. Here, you have to write the field names at the beginning of each line. The Medline (xml) format is a XML document. The field name has to be written between < and >. For further information visit https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/licensee/elements_descriptions.html. Medline (txt) and Medline (XML) always take the type "article". RIS works similar to Medline (txt) with the difference that different fields are supported and the file extension is "ris".

In other sources, you might encounter "MedlinePlain" as synonym for "Medline (txt)" and "Medline" as synonym for "Medline (xml)".

Table with fields

FieldMedline (txt)Medline (XML)RIS

Abstract

AB

Abstract / AbstractText

AB

Affiliation

AD

Article Date

ArticleDate

Article Identifier

AID

Article

Article Title

ArticleTitle

Author

AU

AuthorList

AU/A1

Author Identifier

AUID

Book Title

BTI

BT

Chemical List

ChemicalList

Citation Subset

CitationSubset

Collection Title

CTI

Collaborators

A3

Comments Corrections List

CommentsCorrectionsList

Corporate Author

CN

Copyright Information

CopyrightInformation

Create Date

CRDT

Country

Country

Data Bank List

DataBankList

Date Completed

DCOM

DateCompleted

Date Created

DA

DateCreated

Date Last Revised

LR

DateRevised

Date of Electronic Publication

DEP

Date of Publication

DP

Y2

Delete Citation

DeleteCitation

DOI

DOI

Edition

EN

Editor and Full Editor Name

FED

ED

End

ER

End Page

EP

Entrez Date

EDAT

Full Author

FAU

Full Personal Name as Subject

FPS

Gene Symbol

GS

General Note

GN

GeneralNote

Grant List

GrantList

Grant Number

GR

Investigator Name and Full Investigator Name

IR/FIR

Investigator List

InvestigatorList

ISO Abbreviation

ISOAbbreviation

ISBN

ISBN

SN

ISSN

IS

ISSN

ISSN Linking

ISSNLinking

Issue

IP

Issue

IS

Journal Issue

JournalIssue

Journal Title

JT

Journal

JO/JF/JA

Journal Title Abbreviation

TA

Keywords

KeywordList

KW

Language

LA

Language

Location Identifier

LID

Manuscript Identifier

MID

Medline Title Abbreviation

MedlineTA

Medline Date

MedlineDate

MeSH Date

MHDA

Mesh Heading List

MeshHeadingList

MeSH Terms

MH

Misc

M1-M3

NLM Unique ID

JID

NlmUniqueID

Note

N1

Number of References

RF

Other Abstract and other abstract language

OAB/OABL

OtherAbstract

Other Copyright Information

OCI

Other ID

OID

OtherID

Other Term

OT

Other Term Owner

OTO

Owner

OWN

Pagination

PG

Pagination

Personal Name as Subject

PS

Personal Name as Subject List

PersonalNameSubjectList

Place of Publication

PL

Publication History Status

PHST

Publication Status

PST

Publication Type

PT

Publication Type List

PublicationTypeList

Publisher

PB

Publishing Date

PubDate

Publishing Model

PUBM

PubMed Central Identifier

PMCR

PubmMed Unique Identifier

PMID

PMID

Registry Number

RN

Reprint

RP

Start Page

SP

Substance Name

NM

Supplemental Mesh List

SupplMeshList

Secondary Source ID

SI

Source

SO

Space Flight Mission

SFM

Status

STAT

Subset

SB

Title

TI

Title

TI/T1

Transliterated Title

TT

Type

TY

URL

UR

User Text

U1-U3

Volume

VI

Volume

VL

Volume Title

VTI

Vernacular Title

VernacularTitle

Year

PY/Y1

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