Searching using Keywords
Use Keyword Searching when:
- You are unsure of the professional term used by experts and are using the name you assign to the idea
- You are searching in two or more databases at the same time
- Your term may be related to a new theory or idea that may not be included in the controlled vocabulary
- Your term could appear in multiple places, such as the title, abstract, or the full text of the article (depending on how the database is set up to search)
Use Controlled Vocabulary Searching when:
- You are searching in only one database
- You are using controlled vocabulary after consulting a thesaurus or index
- You are using subject terms from an article's description or citation within the source, so you know experts use the exact term