University Library > Guides > Catalog Tutorial > How a Search by Subject Works

How a Search by Subject Works

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Searching for information by subject is a good way to find material that is focused on a particular topic. When selecting this option, a search is limited to only searching for words in the subject field. Although every record in the catalog is searched, only items that match the Library of Congress (LC) Subject Heading, Medical Subject Heading (MESH) or other standardized heading that was entered will be retrieved.

Warning: In order to search by subject in the Basic Search mode, an exact subject heading, or the beginning of one, must be entered.  Otherwise, the search will produce faulty results or no results at all. For example, a search by subject for world economy would produce no results because world economy is not a recognized subject heading. This does not mean that the Library has nothing about the world economy.


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Last Revised: MS - 10/30/2007