What is controlled vocabulary?

Subject headings, descriptors and thesauri terms are examples of "controlled vocabularies." They are lists of pre-defined, carefully selected words and phrases used to classify and organize information, and vary with discipline and database. Controlled vocabulary describes the general content of an information unit, such as a book, an article, or an essay.

Use controlled vocabulary to:

• browse related, broader and narrow topics of interest,
• to get subject specific, targeted results, and
• to narrow search results or combine with keyword searching for more focused results.

1. Go to opens new windowCINAHL Complete
2. Click on CINAHL Headings.
3. Key in your term.
4. Select a search option--Term Begins With, Term Contains, or Relevancy Ranked. Click Browse.
5. Then, from the list of term results:
   - check the box in front of the term to view a list of subheadings or
   - click the linked term for the "tree structure" view

1. Go to opens new windowMEDLINE with Full opens new windowText
2. Click MeSH 2022 in the top menu bar.
3. Key in your term.
4. Select a search option--Term Begins With, Term Contains, or Relevancy Ranked. Click Browse.
5. Then, from the list of term results:
   - check the box in front of the term to view a list of subheadings or
   - click the linked term for the "tree structure" View

See: opens new windowUsing CINAHL/MeSH Headings Guide