Using Controlled Vocabulary
A database thesaurus is an index of the preferred subject headings
used to describe the content of an item. Sometimes they are referred
to as Descriptors or MeSH subject headings.
Some databases provide searchable links to the thesaurus, for
example the databases ERIC and Philosopher's Index. Others publish
the thesaurus separately in print format as a book.
The Library Databases' Search Tips indicates
thesaurus availability for some databases. See http://www.library.mq.edu.au/find/searchtips.html
A thesaurus is useful because it
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lists the preferred search term used by the database
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suggests related terms and broader or narrower subject headings
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can be used to direct your search when a keyword has more
than one meaning. E.g. turkey or plane or George Bush (Jnr
vs Sr).
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