A keyword search allows you to enter descriptive terms into the database without having to know subject headings. A keyword search searches all of the fields in a record, including the title, author, publisher, subject, and notes.
Keyword and subject searching are not the same thing. However, both are part of an effective strategy for searching databases:
- Begin with a keyword search, which allows you to enter words that describe the information you are seeking.
- Once you have some results, look at the records to see what subject headings the database uses.
- Revise your search using the appropriate subject terms.
Subject headings provide a standard vocabulary for describing the content of materials. UNC-Chapel Hill's Online Catalog uses the Library of Congress (LC) Subject Classification System. E-Research Tools may use different subject systems. Unlike keywords, the terms that you use in a subject search must match the exact format of the subject headings.
- Latin America -- Discovery and exploration
- Latin America -- History
- Latin American literature
- United States -- Commerce -- Latin America