Search strategies : Subject heading
In some databases an indexer or cataloguer reviews items such as books, articles or web pages and assigns subject headings using a standard list of subject terms. One of these standard lists is the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).
The specific list of subject terms is called a controlled vocabulary.
For example
To find books on global warming held in the UniSA Library you would search the Library catalogue using these controlled vocabulary subject headings in the Subject Heading Search option.
- Global warming
- search also under: Greenhouse effect, Atmospheric
- search also under: Plants, effect of global warming on
- Global temperature changes
- search also under: Atmospheric temperature
- search also under: Global warming
- Warming, global
- search instead under: Global warming
Controlled vocabulary databases usually display the subject headings for each record.
Once you have found a relevant item (perhaps with a keyword search), you can use its subject headings to find others.