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3 - Subject Headings
Differences Between Subject and Keyword Searches
Keyword Searching Subject Heading Searching
Good for obscure or contemporary topics
Good for general and universal topics
Use common or informal language
Use formal, academic, or discipline-specific language
Can generate many irrelevant results
Lists highly relevant results for each topic
Can use any term to describe topic to find relevant information
Need to know specific subject heading or vocabulary to search in subject heading list
Will search for keyword in any field
Will only search in subject heading or descriptor field
