Database Search Strategies: Fields

Records in library catalogs and databases are comprised of fields containing specific pieces of bibliographic information.  Each field in each record in the database contains like information in the same format.  

Common fields include:

• author
• title
• journal title
• abstract
• publisher
• date/year of publication
• subject/descriptor

A basic keyword search looks for the words you enter in all the fields in a record.  Limiting your search to specific database fields (such as title or subject) can yield more precise results.  Field searching is particularly helpful when:

• you know the title of the document you want
• you're looking for documents written by a specific author
• you want documents on a particular subject
• you want documents that specifically mention your search terms in their abstract
• you remember the author’s last name and a word from the title

Example: if you are looking for books written by Andrew T. Still instead of about him, it is more efficient to limit your search to the author field.

 To find the available fields within a database, look for drop down boxes or menus to select the fields you want to search.

• If you do not choose a specific field, the database usually reverts to a keyword search, where your words will be searched throughout the record.
• You can combine words and fields together with boolean or proximity operators, depending on how precise you want to be.

The record below shows the field names on the left: