Though similar in most ways to MeSH, the Emtree subject terms from Embase is a distinct taxonomy with its own set of terms. It is easier to use Emtree's automatic term mapping (you will see the translations on your basic search results screen), though manually building a search is a bit more complex.
While Embase will automatically translate your keywords (when possible) into Emtree terms, you can build your own searches using Emtree terms. If you doing higher-level searches like systematic reviews you will want to build search this way.
Using Emtree terms is made easy by Embase. On its homepage it will suggest Emtree terms as you type out your keywords. For example, when you type cancer Embase will suggest the Emtree term malignant neoplasms.
To start from scratch on the Embase homepage, find and click the Emtree link in the top menu.
On the next screen you can type in your term to find the correct Emtree term, or you can browse through the hierarchy by clicking the circles next to each term and navigating down to your preferred Emtree term.
Once you have your term (in the case below, malignant neoplasm for "cancer") you can run your search or build a search. To the right you will see the number of results if you run the search as is--with malignant neoplasm being exploded. Or, you can select from the dropdown menu other methods for using the Emtree term. Note that Embase explains how each selection will be used.
