EBSCOhost Subject Searching

Welcome to the duPont-Ball Library's guide on Subject Searching in EBSCOhost databases. Here you will find information on the indexes available through EBSCOhost for subject searching, as well as how to add subject terms to your EBSCOhost search queries.

Remember, librarians can help you with your research. 

• Ask a Librarian
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  • libref@stetson.edu
  • Stop by the library and ask for a Librarian
• Request a Research Consultation
  • Set up a one-on-one appointment with a librarian for personalized research assistance.

When using EBSCO databases for scholarly research, you can browse a list of subjects, people and places in a specific EBSCO database Thesaurus or browse Classifications, depending upon the databases that are enabled on the profile you are searching.

Thesauri: A thesaurus is a reference work that arranges words by meaning (often by listing synonyms and antonyms, or by constructing a hierarchy of related terms). Several EBSCOhost databases allow subject searching via a thesaurus; for example, the ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) database provides access to the ERIC Thesaurus, and the Communication & Mass Media Complete database has the Communications Thesaurus. PsycINFO has the APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms.

Classifications: A Classification authority will "arrange, group, code, and organize content in a systematic, logical, and helpful order," and will often "group related materials together... typically arranged in a hierarchical tree structure, moving from broad to narrow" (EBSCOhost). For example, the Atla Religions databases provide access to the Atla Subject Thesaurus and Atla Scripture Search to aid in locating articles referencing specific religious texts and chapters.

Searching multiple databases will give you access to multiple subject searching indexes in the form of a drop down menu. For example, the EBSCOhost Research Databases link allows you to search 13 different EBSCOhost databases at one time using the several subject indexes associated with those databases.

The EBSCOhost Subjects tab allows the user to search within an index for more field-specific terms that can be added to your overall search query. 

To browse subjects in an EBSCOhost database or databases, first you need to be conducting an Advanced Search.

Start by navigating to the landing page of the EBSCOhost database(s) that you'd like to search (Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, Business Source Premier, etc.). There is a link to a complete list of EBSCOhost databases on the "More about Subject Searching in EBSCOhost" page of this guide.

You can also pick and choose which database(s) you'd like to search from the EBSCOhost landing page. Click the name of the database next to "Searching:" to load a pop-up box where you can select/deselect preferred databases. You also have the ability to select/deselect all.

After deciding which database(s) you'd like to conduct a search in, find the Subjects tab underneath the search box fields. It will be next to Filters, Search options, and Publications.

If you are searching within multiple databases, there may be more than one controlled vocabulary list available for browsing under the Subjects tab. For example, if you are searching within both the PsycINFO and Academic Search Complete databases, both the APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms and the ASC Subject Terms list will be available. 

If you do not see a Subjects tab option, it is because the selected database(s) is/are not associated with any thesauri or classification rules.

Select which thesaurus or other controlled vocabulary list you'd like to browse from the drop down menu. The drop down menu will not appear if only one thesaurus is available.

Conduct a search by typing your keyword(s) in the "Search for terms in" box. Choose whether you'd like to see all thesaurus terms that begin with your chosen keyword or phrase OR if you'd like your results ranked by relevancy. Click the magnifying glass to conduct the search and browse the results.

Terms in the results list will be accompanied by check boxes to the left-hand side. Some terms may also have a check box in the "Explode" column; clicking an Explode box for a term will automatically select a group of terms that are associated with/are subcategories of that overarching term.

Check the boxes next to each term you'd like to add to your overall search query. If you've selected more than one term, you will also have the option to select a Boolean operator (AND, OR, or NOT) to connect them via the "Join terms using:" drop down menu. Click "Add to search" to add your selected terms to your overall search query.

Keywords added from the Subjects tab will form a search string with any search terms already entered into the main search box above. For example, if you've already typed "post-traumatic stress disorder" into the main search box, adding the term "adolescent development" from the APA Psychological Index Terms list from the Subjects tab will transform your overall search query into "post-traumatic stress disorder AND/OR/NOT adolescent development," depending upon which Boolean operator you choose to connect the terms.

Click "Search" to conduct a search query using your selected terms.