Keyword Search uses any words/phrases that you choose

Subject Heading search uses a "controlled vocabulary"

— also known as a descriptor, thesaurus term, or subject heading created by the Library of Congress system; article databases might also have their own unique subject headings

Advantages

• Allows natural language searching

• Searches anywhere in the record

• Created by you, the user

• Don't need to know the "controlled vocabulary"

Advantages

• Computer interprets your search — by matching your search with an organized list of subjects

• Better, more precise results because it only searches the Subject field in the record

Disadvantages

• Results can be messy because some of them are irrelevant to your needs

• Risky: Garbage in, garbage out; what you type is what you get; — there is no interpretation

Disadvantages

• Subject headings are not flexible because they must be selected from a "controlled" list of words

• Requires thesaurus or index

• No guessing allowed

Examples of Keyword Terms

• Native Americans

• Cars

• Movies or films

• United States and civil war

• Star Wars

Examples of Library of Congress Subject Headings

• Indians of North America

• Automobiles

• Motion pictures

• United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865

• Strategic Defense Initiative ("star wars") or Star Wars Films