Database Searching Tips
What is controlled vocabulary?
- Most databases have what is called "controlled vocabulary."
- "Controlled vocabulary" refers to the standard words and phrases that indexers of the database use to describe populations, conditions, interventions, and more.
- Using controlled vocabulary can help you zero in on the information that you need more quickly.
Where to find controlled vocabulary:
- Look up PubMed's controlled vocabulary in the MeSH database.
- Search for CINAHL's controlled vocabulary by using their subject headings database.
Controlled vocabulary example in a database:
Here are MeSH terms for articles on therrmoregulation among patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Using these MeSH terms will help you find similar articles.
Boolean terms are words include AND, OR, and NOT.
- Typing in thermoregulation OR body temperature regulation into the database will find articles that mention either therrmoregulation or body temperature regulation.
- Thermoregulation AND Multiple Sclerosis will pull articles that mention both thermoregulation and Multiple Sclerosis."
- Thermoregulation NOT heat exhaustion will pull articles that discuss thermoregulation without mentioning heat exhaustion.
Truncation is also known as wild card searching. It allows you to search for different variations of a word. In most databases, you can truncate a keyword by adding the asterisk symbol* at the end of the root of a keyword. Here are some examples:
- adolescen* searches the database for adolescents, adolescent, or adolescence
- female* searches for the keywords female (singular) or females (plural)
