What is controlled vocabulary?

Subject headings, descriptors and thesauri terms are examples of "controlled vocabularies." These are lists of pre-defined, carefully selected words and phrases used to classify and organize information. They vary by discipline and database. Controlled vocabulary describes the general content of an information unit, such as a book, an article, or an essay. In MEDLINE subjects are identified as MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), while in CINAHL, they are referred to as Subject Headings.The specific subject headings vary depending on the content of the database.

Use controlled vocabulary (or subjects) to:

• browse related, broader and narrow topics of interest,
• generate subject specific, targeted results, and
• combine with keyword searching to further narrow or focus your search results.

The steps to browse CINAHL Subject Headings and MEDLINE MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) are similar, but the headings may vary with each database due to the database contents and scope.

In CINAHL Advanced search:

• Click on CINAHL Headings.
• Key in your term.
  Select a display option: Relevance ranked or Term begins with, then search.
• From the list of term results:
  Check the box in front of the term to view subheadings. Mark the term or subheadfings you want to search, then click Add to search.
  
  The example below shows a CINAHL Headings search for the term asthma. The box in front of the term is marked to show the subheadings.
  
  
• To view a description, the scope, related headings, and the tree structure, click the term link.
  
  

In MEDLINE Advanced search:

• Click MEDLINE--MeSH 2025.
• Key in your term.
• Select a result display option: Relevancy ranked or Term begins with.
• 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 to view a definition, the scope, related subjects, and the tree structure.

More directions for browsing:

opens new windowBrowsing CINAHL/MeSH Headings