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Boxer Library

Academic Writing Guide

Subject Headings

Find the best terms using subject headings!

One of the hardest parts about finding information is sifting through the results to find the information that answers your research or clinical question. When searching, you want to find just the right amount of results. If there are not enough results, then there may not be enough evidence to answer your question. If there is too much, relevant content may get lost. 

Some concepts have multiple words related to them. 

  • Example:
    • Concept:
      • An abnormal growth of tissues
    • Terms:
      • Neoplasm
      • Neoplasia
      • Tumor
      • Tumors
      • Cancer
      • Cancers

Different authors may each use different terms for this concept in their articles. To do a comprehensive search, you can either search each of these terms individually or you can apply a subject heading and search all of these terms at once. 

Subject headings group multiple words under a concept. By entering the word "neoplasm" as a subject heading, you are telling the database to search for articles with the subjects neoplasm, neoplasia, tumor, tumors, cancer, or cancers. The results in your list should be more relevant to your needs. 

Some other problems that are alleviated by using subject headings:
  • Finding information which has both a British and American spelling. 
    • Example: Using the subject heading "gynecology" will also search the British spelling gynaecology.
  • Isolating your desired concept when it comes to words 
    • Example: The word "mole" can mean a darker patch of skin, or a rodent. When you review different subject headings, you will learn that you can use "nevus" if you mean the skin, and not the animal. 

How do I learn how to use subject headings?

The library has created tutorials demonstrating the use of subject heading in various databases. Below are those tutorials, and if you require assistance using them for the first time, contact the librarians!