Searching Library Databases 

Advantages

1. When a list of subject terms (thesaurus) is available, it may help you find an appropriate search term for your topic.
2. When a list of subject terms (thesaurus) is available, it will provide you with suggested terms for narrower, broader or related topics.
3. Using the appropriate subject heading for a topic will retrieve all items in the database indexed under that topic.

Disadvantages

1. Recently coined terms, including new topics and jargon may not yet be included in the list of subject terms.
2. When a database does not provide a thesaurus or list of subject terms, the controlled vocabulary may not be obvious.

Keywords Searches

• Search for: Records that have the search term anywhere within them.
• Volume: Depending on the terms you use, searches may retrieve no results or thousands. Searches with general terms often return many results..
• Relevance:Varies. Results may be completely unrelated to your topic. For example, a search for 'Philadelphia' returns records for every book published by the University of Pennsylvania Press (located in 'Philadelphia') regardless of whether the work is about Philadelphia.
• Flexibility: High: Terms can be combined in complex ways to design effective searches.

Subject Searches

• Search for: Records that have the search term in the subject headings part of that record.
• Volume: Varies widely. Some searches will retrieve hundreds of results, but, if you choose a nonexistent subject term, you will get none.
• Relevance: High as long as you identify the correct subject for your topic.
• Flexibility: The flexibility of your search is limited by the manner in which subjects are structured in the database that you are searching.

1. Do a keyword search in the database for the main concept(s). (religion and death penalty)
2. Examine the record to find the subject terms listed in the database record.

Then, search that subject term in the subject or thesaurus search in the database - or click on the term if it is hyperlinked. (capital punishment/religious aspects)

Advantages

1. Using keyword(s) will retrieve items containing new terms, distinctive words, or jargon.
2. If you do not know the appropriate subject heading, descriptor or identifier for your topic, you can conduct a keyword search first and look at a relevant item for the appropriate subject term.

Disadvantages

1. You may retrieve items that are not relevant to your topic (called false drops or false hits).
2. In order to retrieve more relevant items, you need to use a variety of terms. For example, to retrieve items about movies, a keyword search must include related terms such as films, cinema, motion pictures, etc.