keyword vs. controlled vocabulary searching 12 basic skills for iq
TRANSCRIPT
Keyword vs. ControlledVocabulary Searching
12 Basic Skills for IQ
The four pillars of IQ
Find Retrieve Analyze Use
Searching for informationfalls under the “Find”
portion of the FRAU acronymthat defines the four pillars
of Information Quality
What is keyword searching? Uses common language to find information in
databases Searches across multiple fields May be truncated for searching on word
variations May be used in combination with other
keywords
What is controlled vocabulary searching? Uses 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 asformal ways of “tagging”information
Image source: http://www.patheos.com/Topics.html
Advantages
Keyword searching 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
Subject searching 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
Keyword searching 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
Subject searching 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
Where do you search?
Online databases
Library catalog
World Wide Web
Sample Keyword Search:Online Database
Sample Subject Search:Online Database
Sample Subject Search:Online Database
Sample Keyword Search:Library Catalog
Sample Subject Search:Library Catalog
Sample Subject Search:Library Catalog
Sample Keyword Search:World Wide Web
Google Advanced Search
Sample Focused Keyword Search:World Wide Web
Effective searching
Depends on the database being searched Depends on the quality of the database’s
indexing Combines the best elements of keyword and
subject searching
When searching, remember… If using keywords, search all synonyms and word
forms, including variations in spelling Often, enclosing words in quotation marks will tell
the database or search engine to search the words as a phrase
If the database uses subject headings or descriptors, find a subject heading that comes closest to your research topic
If you get stuck, overwhelmed or frustrated, contact a librarian
Questions?
Please contact me or one of the other Stitt librarians if you have questions or need help.
Kathy FowlerStitt Library
www.austinseminary.edu/iq