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EBSCOhost Subject Searching

Using Subject Terms can make searching in EBSCOhost databases more efficient and increase the relevancy of your results. Learn how with this guide.

Welcome

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. 

Benefits of Subject Searching

When using an EBSCOhost database for scholarly research, you have the ability to browse a list of subjects, people and places by utilizing a Thesaurus or Classification authority. The availability of these classification authorities or thesauri depends upon the EBSCOhost database that you are employing for your research.

Subject searching is more specific than just a simple keyword search. The Subject Searching function for EBSCOhost looks only at the subject field of a record, relying on controlled vocabularies and standardized word indexes to find relevant material. This allows the user to take advantage of the consistency of field-specific terms throughout the database.

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.

Step One: Selecting a Database and Finding the Subjects Tab

The Subjects tab in an EBSCOhost database allows you to search within a thesaurus of controlled vocabulary in order to find more field-specific subject terms/keywords to add to your overall search query. To browse subject terms in an EBSCOhost database, first you need to be conducting an Advanced Search. The duPont-Ball Library has made the Advanced Search function the default option for EBSCOhost databases (as opposed to the Basic Search function), so the Advanced Search page should be the first thing you see when you visit your preferred database.

Begin 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 complete list of EBSCOhost databases on the "More about Subject Searching in EBSCOhost" page of this guide.

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 tabs labeled Filters, Search options, and possibly Publications.

If you do not see a Subjects tab, it is because the selected database is not associated with any thesauri or classification rules.

Step Two: Conducting Searches Using Subject Thesauri

To begin browsing the thesaurus and adding subject terms to your overall search query, conduct a search by typing your keyword(s) in the search box under the Subjects tab.

Choose whether you'd like to see all 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 your subject terms 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 "rural areas or rural communities" into the main search box, adding the terms "gifted" and "academically gifted" from the ERIC Thesaurus will transform your overall search query into "rural areas or rural communities AND/OR/NOT DE 'gifted' AND DE 'academically gifted'."

Click "Search" to conduct a search query with your selected keywords, subject terms, and search filters.