Library of the Health Sciences - Urbana

Searching Databases: Title Searching vs. Key word Searching

If you can't use subject headings, try to use title words:

• Title searches
  • in databases search only the words in a title.
    • Example: If you title search for "skin cancer", the articles retrieved will more likely be about skin cancer because those two terms are in the title of the article.
• Keyword searches
  • in full-text databases search the entire text of an article for the appearance of words.
    • Example: If you keyword search "skin cancer", your search might retrieve many articles that have the two words "skin" and "cancer" somewhere in them, but they may not be about skin cancer.
  • in non-full-text databases search the titles, abstracts, subject headings (when applicable),
    journal names, addresses, etc. of an article citation for the appearance of words.
    • Example: Again, if you keyword search "skin cancer", your search might retrieve many article citations
      that have the two words "skin" and "cancer" in them, but they may not be about skin cancer.