Search Tools
- Search Tools
- Primary Searching Tools
- Keyword Searching
- Subject Searching
- Title Searching
- Author Searching
- Online Catalog
- Databases
- The Web
Subject Searching
Most databases use special or controlled vocabulary called subject headings to describe what each item in the database is about.
- a subject search involves searching the subject headings of records in a database
- you must know the subject heading to use it
- the subject heading must be used within the database
- a problem with subject headings is that new subjects are slow to be described by the subject headings -- someone must create the new subject heading for it to exist
In this example, we conducted a subject search in the library's online catalog for "nanotechnology." Six subject headings were found, and a total of ten items.
The important difference between a subject versus keyword search:
- subject searching retrieves high rate of relevant items but fewer number of hits than keyword searching
- keyword searching will find more items than subject searching but will likely retrieve irrelevant items