Lesson
After you press the ENTER key, what does the computer do with your request? First it looks to see if your search is a subject search, or of the keyword variety. How do these two differ? Subject headings are the exact words used to describe a topic. Think about the Yellow Pages in your phone book. When you are looking for something (cars, for example), you have to think of a word to look under. In the phone book, the word "Automobiles" is used instead of cars. Looking under the heading "Automobiles" rather than "Cars" is an example of a subject search.
A keyword search is where the computer just looks for the words you type in. It doesn’t matter whether a keyword is a name, a subject, part of the title, or shows up in an abstract — the computer just looks for your words, no matter where they appear in the record. Why is this important? Most databases search for keywords unless you specify that you want to search by subject. This will make a difference in how many terms you may need to try. If you are doing a keyword search and don’t find enough hits (entries) using one word, it may be simply because the terms appearing in the database are not the same as the word you used. (For example, a search for the keyword "guns" will not find any sources that use the word "firearms" instead.) Be prepared to try all the words in your brainstormed list.
Practice
1.What is the difference between subject and keyword searching?
A.In keyword searching, the computer searches for the words you type in. It doesn’t matter whether they are a name, a subject, or they show up in another part of the record.
B. Subject searching means that the computer looks for specific subject words. It is like looking for "automobiles" in the phone book instead of "cars."
C. Both are correct.
2.What if you don’t find anything with your search terms?
A. You should try other words in your brainstormed list.
B. You should spell the words backwards.
C. You should run screaming from the computer.