Medline is the electronic version of Index medicus, a comprehensive index of scientific periodical literature in the medical sciences compiled by the National Library of Medicine. It includes all medically related areas of biology and all medical specialties, and is particularly strong in molecular biology. Medline indexes journal articles and chapters in symposia, not whole books, including more than 3800 journals and other periodical publications. Medline covers the literature from 1966. Most current articles have abstracts.
Coverage is worldwide, but most items are in English or have English abstracts.
There is systematic indexing for standardized medical vocabulary, and extensive use of acronyms, enzymes, gene names, and names of key reagents.