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William Hessel Library

Subject Headings

 

Search limiters can be selected when searching the library's databases and online catalog. Many of us are familiar with entering keyword searches. But what are the advantages to limiting your search to subjects only?

 

Searching selected fields in a record.

In an electronic database, a field is part of a record or a section of the record that contains a particular type of data, such as a title, author, subject heading or descriptors, or an abstract. Each record in a database is made up of "fields," and you may limit your search of a database to a particular field or fields, to get more precise search results, or because you want only the information that is in the field(s) you specify.

For example, if you were using EBSCOhost's Academic Search Elite, a magazine database, to locate a book review of poetry, you could limit your search by document type [book review] and then select to search as a subject [poetry]. See screen below. In the find box, the word, "poetry," is entered. The box to the right indicates the search to be located in the subject field. Under the heading, Limit Your Results, note that the document type selected is book review.

Below is one of the entries as a result of the above search. This entry is a book review about a poetry book called A Poem of Her Own: Voices of American Women Yesterday and Today. The review is found in the magazine, School Library Journal, Spring 2004, on page 63.

Difference between a keyword search and subject search.

Below shows a keyword or default field (all fields searched) for "civil war." The search resulted in 11435 different articles located. There are a lot of "hits" as the search found the phrase "civil war" in several fields - title, subject, abstract.

Below shows a subject heading search for "civil war." The search resulted in 5114 different articles located. While still a lot of "hits," this search narrowed the results to only those articles that included civil war in the subject headings.

Here is what happens when another search term is entered as a subject. The search resulted in 35 articles located. But, something to think about: Which civil war is it?

These are the subject headings assigned to the above cited article. Note that the United States related Civil War subject terms/heading are actually assigned as: [Civil War, 1861-1865]. NOTE: These subject terms were located by clicking on the name of the article -- Elizabeth Van Lew.

Here now are search results for [civil war, 1861-1865] and [women] as subjects: Notice that this search resulted in 14 articles. This search is a better search than the earlier one - if the civil war in the U.S. is what was to be searched.

Why search by subject headings?

As demonstrated, limiting a search by subject headings can result in more precise results. But, searching by keyword can be a good way to start if there is not a way to identify the correct wording of the assigned subject headings used in the databases. If you start with keyword searching, the cited results usually include the subject headings assigned to that article or book. Take a look at those subject headings. Then you can choose to search by the subject terms/headings included in the record.

If your instructor has assignments about Subject Headings, go to: Blackboard

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