A subject heading is a word or phrase which is assigned to an item to describe its subject content. UniSA Library uses Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) as subject headings in the Library.

In libraries, a word or phrase assigned to a work to indicate its subject, and to serve as an access point in an index, catalog, or database.

a thesaurus term or a controlled vocabulary term.

Is an agreed upon word/phrase (also referred to as controlled vocabulary) to describe and define a concept or thing. Library catalogs, indexes and electronic databases all make use of controlled vocabulary to provide consistent access to books, articles and other material. Subject headings can be words or phrases under which all material dealing with that area is entered in an index or library catalog. To conduct a successful and efficient subject search in the library's catalog or in an article database, it is necessary to know the predefined subject heading. See also: Database , Catalog Subject Specific Help See: Reference Desk

A term or phrase which describes the subject content of a work. Most academic libraries use the Library of Congress Subject Headings.

A term or phrase assigned to materials which describes the subject or a work. Colorado State University uses subject headings listed in the Library of Congress Subject Headings .

words or headings assigned to books and articles and used to index these items by topic. Determining the correct headings for a specific database or catalog is an important part of effective research.

A word or phrase used to describe the topic of a book, article or other material in a library catalogue or periodical index. Subject headings are sometimes called descriptors or identifiers.

A word or group of words indicating the subject of a work.

A subject heading is a word or phrase that is assigned to an item by cataloguers to describe its subject content. It is chosen from a set list.

word or group of words expressing a subject under which all items on that subject are filed. (Keenan, p.51)

The word or group of words under which books and other material on a subject are entered in a catalogue in which the entries are arranged in alphabetical order.

a controlled vocabulary term assigned to a work

a search term used to describe the subject content of an information resource

a standardized term or phrase assigned to a book or other material to describe what the item is about

a standardized term used to describe a particular topic and it allows you to search for material using one heading

a standardized word or phrase which describes a concept or topic

a word or phrase indicating the official subject under which all material dealing with the same topic is entered in this Catalog

a word or phrase that describes what a book, video, or other library material is about

a word or phrase that is used to describe the subject content of a work

a word or term that describes, often quite broadly, the contents of a book, journal article, videotape, dataset, etc

a word or term that describes, often quite broadly, the contents of an information resource

A prescribed word or group of words under which publications dealing with a particular subject are listed in a catalogue, periodical index, or electronic database.

a specific word or words used as an access point to a bibliographic record in the online catalog; also a word or words used to identify topics in a book or periodical index.

Standardized term or phrase, often including subdivisions, used to categorize records of items related by subject, including persons, places, or things, often qualified by chronological period, geographical region, or type of document. See also -- Dewey Decimal Classification See also -- Library of Congress Classification See also -- SuDocs Classification

A standard search term assigned to an item record to identify its primary content. Finding and using the appropriate subject terms is an important part of an effective search. (Compare to Keyword Search)

A word, phrase, or group of words that describes the subject content of a book or other item. In most databases, subject headings, which can also be called "descriptors," are a form of controlled vocabulary. A given item may have more than one subject heading.

A word or group of words indicating a subject under which all materials on the same theme are entered in a catalog or reference work.

A word or phrase assigned to a record to describe its content. Items in the UC Davis libraries are given Library of Congress Subject Headings. In electronic databases, subject headings are often referred to as descriptors. (See also Controlled Vocabulary)

A term or phrase used in indexes and library catalogs to identify material on a given topic.

The topic under which an item has been identified. A subject heading can be used as a point of access in print and computerized sources. The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is an example of an established list of subject headings.

a word or groups of words under which all materials on a particular topic are listed in a catalog or index

A word or phrase that describes the theme of an article or book. Most items will have more than one subject heading attached to it.

A category used to define, and thus organize information in a database. (Unit 3 What All Libraries have) Back to top of page

Main subjects listed in a library catalog or index.

a term, name, or phrase used as an access point in a catalog or index which is arranged by topic. Generally, any particular index will use a standardized set of subject headings, which improves search precision once the user determines the "approved" headings being used for their topic.

A word or group of words under which all material dealing with a topic are included.

A controlled vocabulary assigned by an indexer. Subject headings are used in catalogs and indexes to group together items by subject. They are used to organize the library's collection.

A word or phrase assigned in a bibliographic record to indicate the most specific subject of the work, which serves as an access point in a catalog, index, or database search.

The specific word or phrase used to find a book or article on a specific topic in a catalog or periodical index.

Using controlled vocabulary, such as the Library of Congress subject headings, to search for material on a certain topic.

the subject word or phrase assigned to a specific work when cataloging or indexing. (Library of Congress Subject Headings are used primarily by this library)

A word or phrase from a specific terminology of the subject dicipline which is used to describe the subject of a document. The most commonly used subject headings in libraries are the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).

A word or phrase used in a database field to identify the subject of a publication. In some databases, subject headings are called descriptors. At UNB Libraries our catalogue is organized according to the Library of Congress Subject Headings.

A word added to a citation to describe the subject of the source.

A word or group of words indicating a particular subject under which all material dealing with the same theme is entered in an online catalog card catalog bibliography periodical index, or is arranged in a file. The University of Central Florida Libraries use the subject headings developed by the Library of Congress, published in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).

The word or group of words assigned to materials in a catalog or index.

Standardized words and phrases that are already programmed into a database, used to group together materials on the same topic. Also known as controlled vocabulary, descriptors, or thesaurus terms. On those occasions when you do know the subject headings used by a particular database, you will definitely be able to construct more effective searches than if you rely on keyword searches. See keyword searching for a discussion of the differences between keyword and subject searching.

The word or phrase used to describe the subject content of a work. Also known as Descriptors. An alphabetical list of all the subject headings in a particular collection or Database with a description of the location of the work (page number, call number, citation, etc.), is the subject for that collection or database. Some indexes or databases use Controlled Vocabulary, and others use Natural Language.

an access point to a bibliographic record, consisting of a word or phrase which designates the subject of the work(s) contained in the bibliographic item. (ALA)

A word or phrase that accurately and succinctly describes the subject of a book or article (or other information source).  A book may have more than one subject heading listed on its record in the library catalog.  At BYU we use the Library of Congress Subject Headings for most of our collections.

A uniform word or group of words used to describe the subject of a library material in a library catalogue. The University of Manitoba uses the Library of Congress Subject Headings for the majority of its collections. Some collections use other systems of uniform subject headings. For example, the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library uses National Library of Medicine subject headings. A uniform word or group of words used to describe the subject of a reference in an index to periodical articles. The computerized indexes on NETDOC often use the term descriptor which means the same as subject heading.

A term that describes the subject of an item and assists a user to locate an item in a catalogue.

see Library of Congress Subject Headings

A word or group of words indicating a subject under which all material dealing with the same theme is entered in a catalog or a bibliography, or is arranged in a file. Sears List of Subject Headings is often used as the standard.

A subject heading is a word or phrase that is assigned by a cataloger to describe the material (book, journal article, video, etc.). The Library of Congress is usually the source of the subject headings. Looking at the assigned subject headings can help you understand what the material is about. When you perform a subject search, you are searching for these preassigned subject headings. Unless you know the subject heading, you may want to search by keyword instead.

A term or phrase used in indexes and library catalogs to group together materials on the same topic. Also called controlled vocabulary, descriptors, or thesaurus. (See also Descriptor; Controlled Vocabulary).

controlled vocabulary used to denote subjects commonly used in library catalogs like the Library of Congress Subject Headings listing.

A subject heading is a term used to describe an item in a library so that a student can find works on similar subjects. The list of subject headings used at Concordia University College is the Library of Congress Subject Headings . Make sure you check this list if you are having difficulty finding books on a given subject when you are searching by subject in the direct search mode on The NEOS Libraries' Catalogue.

a term chosen to identify subjects in a classification system. The same subject heading in a library catalog is used to describe all materials on that topic.

A list of standard search terms assigned to an item to identify its primary content. Using the correct subject heading is an important part of an effective search. Consult the Library of Congress Subject Headings when using your library's online catalog or OhioLINK, or consult the appropriate thesaurus for a specific database.

There are no subject headings assigned to the Curtis volumes or images. Keyword searching means searching the original text of the publication.

A uniform word or group of words used to describe the subject of a library material in a library catalog. St. Louis Community College uses the Library of Congress Subject Headings for the majority of its collection.

A single word or phrase used by the indexer of a database to denote a particular subject.  All documents in the database related to that subject will be filed under that word or phrase.  Often used synonymously with the term, "descriptor."

A word or phrase assigned to an item in a database to describe the item's content. This content information can help a researcher evaluate whether a book or an article is worth further examination. Subject headings also suggest alternative terms or phrases to use in a search. Most academic library catalogs use the Library of Congress Subject Headings to describe the subjects of books in the catalog. Other databases create their own list, or thesaurus, of accepted descriptive terms. In some databases, subject headings are called descriptors. See descriptors.

A word or group of words that designates a particular area of interest to the library user under which all material dealing with a given subject is entered in an index, library catalog or bibliography.