12 Basic Skills for IQ: Keyword vs. Controlled Vocabulary Searching

Find Retrieve Analyze Use Courtesy of heyjohngreen's flickr. FIND!

What is keyword searching? Uses common words to find information in databases Searches across multiple fields in the record May be truncated for searching on word variations May be used in combination with other keywords

A Keyword Search for John Courtesy of design-gate and phil dokas flickr. Goal: A text on the Book of John

Keyword Searching Advantages May be used to find information on current subjects, trends May use synonyms May combine terms (using AND, OR, or NOT) May be used to find subject headings Disadvantages Results are often too broad, returning irrelevant hits Not indexed to specific fields in records Multiple search terms are often needed to find relevant information

What is controlled vocabulary searching? Uses pre-determined subject headings or descriptors assigned to database records to find information Does not allow use of variant forms of the subject terms Controlled vocabulary/subject headings/ descriptors can be thought of as formal ways of “tagging” information

Courtesy of jessamyn’s flickr. Professional Sorting

Subject Searching Advantages Hits usually relevant May provide suggestions for narrower, broader, or related terms Will return all items in the database indexed with the subject term used in the search Disadvantages Less flexible Cannot take advantage of recently coined terms, new topics or jargon If the database does not provide a thesaurus or browsable list, determining the proper subject heading can be difficult

Sample Keyword Search: Online Database

Sample Subject Search: Online Database

Sample Keyword Search: Library Catalog

Sample Subject Search: Library Catalog

Keyword -> Subject Unsure what subject headings are available? Keyword searches can lead to subject searches. Courtesy of MIT Libraries

Keyword -> Subject Start with a keyword search, using words/phrases that describe your topic. Courtesy of MIT Libraries

Keyword -> Subject Browse the results; choose 2 or 3 that are relevant. Courtesy of MIT Libraries

Keyword -> Subject Look at the Subject or Descriptor field and note the terms used (write them down). Courtesy of MIT Libraries

Keyword -> Subject Redo your search using those terms. Your results will be more precise than your initial keyword search. Courtesy of MIT Libraries

Effective Searching… combines the best elements of keyword and subject searching Courtesy of M.V. Jantzen's flickr.

Keyword -> Subject

When searching, remember… If you get stuck, overwhelmed or frustrated, contact a librarian. Courtesy of brixton's flickr.

Questions?