Keyword Searching

Identifying terms for database searching (and more).

Keyword • Definitions

Keyword: A significant word in the abstract, title (1), or text (2) of a work (1) that is used as a descriptor (1). Can be considered a type of search term (ALA Glossary of Library Information Science, 2013)

Keyword: A significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of an information resource that indicates its subject and is often used as a search term (ACRL-IS Glossary, 2018)

Exploring & Identifying Keywords

Keywords are the most important words or concepts in your research topic or question.  Tips for selecting / identifying keywords for a search include:

• Identify the most important 2 to 4 words or concepts from your research question or topic.
• A quick way identify important words or concepts is to choose the most important nouns.
• Develop a list of alternate words with the same or similar meaning.
• Use a thesaurus, dictionary, research starter, article subject terms, Wikipedia, or conduct a google search to find additional terms.
• Take time to identify what the words mean to you as a researcher.

Keywords, Subject Terms, & More

Sometimes the results support your search, other times they miss the mark. Why? Keep in mind that:

• Keywords are selected by users and most natural language options.
• Subject terms are defined by individual databases.
• Author keywords are supplied by article authors for their work.

When searching a database, these words are not always the same.