1. Search Strategies – Subject Searching
• Subject Searching is a research strategy that incorporates both subject terms and
keywords into your search. This will allow you to create a result list with a more
specific and detailed results.
• Keywords, are words, ideas, and phrases that you use to describe your topic.
– These words are often discovered while reading about your topic, during class
discussions, and in databases.
• Subject terms, unlike keywords, are a “controlled vocabulary.” A controlled
vocabulary allows databases to consistently organize articles into the proper
subject group or groups regardless of the possible variations in keywords.
• The subject term “World War, 1940-1945” will search for all of the following
keywords: WWII, World War Two, Second World War.
• This prevents you from having to perform three separate keyword searches.

2. Search Strategies – Subject Searching
• Subject terms are not always intuitive. The best way to discover subject terms
is to experiment with various keyword searches.
• The database will provide you with suggested subject terms in the subject
limiter toolbar and within the article record.

3. Search Strategies – Subject Searching
• Once you have discovered and written down a few subject terms, it is time to
incorporate them into an advanced search.
• Type in your subject term into the search box.
• Change your dropdown menu from “Select a Field” to SU Subject Terms. This
lets the database know that you are doing a Subject Search.

4. Search Strategies – Subject Searching
• A great feature to subject searching is also being able to incorporate
your keywords to create a more detailed search.
• This will also help you narrow down your result list.
• To combine a subject and keyword search, you will need
incorporate the Boolean Operators AND / OR.

5. Search Strategies – Subject Searching
• Take a look at the combined subject and keyword search below.
• By using the Boolean Operator I have told the database that I want articles about
both the subject term mathematics skills AND the keyword reading fluency.
– Notice that I have left the dropdown menu on the defaulted “Select a Field” for
my keyword reading fluency.
• If your keyword also happens to be a subject term, like reading fluency, you can
change the dropdown menu to SU Subject Term and do a combined subject search.