• Understand the Historical Development of PubMed: Learn about the evolution of PubMed from MEDLARS to its current state as a comprehensive biomedical database.
• Recognize the Impact of PubMed on Scientific Research: Explore how PubMed has democratized access to biomedical literature and its implications for global research accessibility.
• Appreciate the Features and Services of PubMed: Familiarize with the various components of PubMed, including PubMed Central, and their roles in supporting open scientific communication.

PubMed, launched by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in 1997, has revolutionized the accessibility of biomedical information. Originating in the 1960s with MEDLARS, PubMed evolved through MEDLINE in the 1970s to become a robust online resource with the advent of the World Wide Web. Today, PubMed offers free access to over 36 million citations and abstracts from biomedical and life sciences literature, significantly impacting global medical research and healthcare. The establishment of PubMed Central in 2000 further advanced NLM’s mission by providing a free full-text archive of journal literature. As one of the largest and most comprehensive databases in the world, PubMed continues to expand, adding thousands of records weekly and supporting diverse scientific fields beyond biomedicine.