Definitions for "CONTROLLED VOCABULARY"
Related Terms:
Descriptor, Thesaurus, Subject heading, Descriptors, Subject headings, Mesh, Cross reference, Subject search, Medical subject headings, Library of congress subject headings, Indexing, Heading, Cross-reference, Lcsh, Index, Glossary, Preferred term, Bibliographic database, Inverted index, Scope note, Catalogue, Periodical database, Term, Authority file, Fields, Catalog, Stopword, Cite , Keyword searching, Browsing, Reference materials, Concordance, Library catalog, Authority control, Reference collection, Search statement, Non-preferred term, Thesaurus, Library database, Citation index, Phrase searching, Stopwords, Bibliographic record, Lexis, Union catalog, Endnote, Medline, Mapping, Reference, Periodical index
A list of terms and synonyms that provide optimal consistency within a website.
words used as subject headings by a catalog or an index. Often these words are listed in a thesaurus where you can see terms for a topic before you start to use that catalog or index. The controlled vocabulary used by the OSU Libraries in Oscar is the Library of Congress Subjuect Headings.
A controlled vocabulary is a subset of a language, consisting of pre-selected words and phrases designated as index terms. In a controlled vocabulary, each subject is represented by one valid term only; and, conversely, each term represents only one subject. References are made from equivalent or synonymous terms not selected as valid index terms. Homographs are disambiguated. In addition, a controlled vocabulary contains links among hierarchically or otherwise related terms. Examples of controlled vocabularies include Library of Congress Subject Headings, Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors, and Medical Subject Headings. The term "controlled vocabulary" is often used in a broad sense to include scheme-based classification data, which also manifest rigorous structures and embody relationships among concepts.
A controlled vocabulary is a list of terms that have been specified explicitly. All terms in a controlled vocabulary should have a clear-cut, non-redundant definition.
A list of approved subject terms
These are specific words and phrases used when creating subject headings for a book, article and other materials for a specific index or catalogue. The UniSA Library catalogue uses subject headings designated by the Library of Congress and other authoritative sources. This allows for precision searching of large catalogues and databases to find items on a similar subject.
A subset of the lexicon of a natural language. A list of preferred and nonnreferred terms produced by the process of vocabularv control. Types of controlled vocabulary include subject heading lists and thesauri. (from the Z39.19 NISO standard)
A prescribed set of consistently used and carefully defined terms.
Vocabulary taught progressively by controlling the number of new words students will encounter in each reading lesson.
a set of words, phrases or other descriptors that is limited in number, sometimes by an editorial group, and used by indexers and searchers for indexing and searching, so that consistency is encouraged and so that descriptions can proceed at the conceptual level. Examples include MeSH for medicine, Library of Congress Subject Headings for cataloging, and ERIC for the educational literature.
A vocabulary that contains specific words that are applied consistently to all entries in a database.
a hierarchically arranged collection of terms which are defined by the relationships between the terms in the vocabulary
a limited set of terms that are valid for indexing (keywording or topic tagging) a set of documents
a list of standardized terminology, words or phrases, used for indexing or content analysis and information retrieval usually in a defined information domain
a list of terms that have been enumerated explicitly
a list of terms used by documentation workers to represent concepts such as the characteristics of an event, person or thing, or the contents of a document
an established list of standardized terminology for use in indexing and retrieval of information
an ontology that simply lists a set of terms
an organized arrangement of words and phrases that are used to index content and/or to retrieve content through browsing or searching
a restricted set of words used to describe things
a set of standardized words or phrases used in indexing and information retrieval
a set of terms to use for describing content (known as descriptors in indexing lingo)
a standardised list of terms used to describe and organise information
a way to insert an interpretive layer of semantics between the term entered by the user and the underlying database to better represent the original intention of the terms of the user
Words used as subject headings by a catalog or an index. Often these are listed in a thesaurus, which you can use to see terms for your topic before you start to use that catalog or index. The controlled vocabulary used in the Memorial Library catalog is the Library of Congress Subject Headings list.
Terms from an authority file or thesaurus such as LCSH that are used as subject headings or descriptors in a strict and standard way to ensure consistency.
specific words and phrases ( descriptors) used when creating subject headings for a book, article, etc. for a specific index or catalog. For example, the books within the Riverside Library collection are given subject headings from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Using controlled vocabulary brings together items of a similar subject under a single term. Compare with Natural language.
A means of searching a resource using words or terms selected by the creator of the resource or by an organization or individual other than its user. In contrast to a keyword, which can be any word or term selected by the user of the resource. Searching a resource using controlled vocabulary is usually more precise and focused than searching by keyword. Descriptors and subject headings are types of controlled vocabulary. See also -- Keyword See also -- Subject Heading
Alphabetical list containing terms or headings which are authorised or controlled so that only one heading or form of heading is allowed to represent a particular concept or name. A controlled vocabulary is also referred to as a thesaurus. See also Natural language. Source: Adapted from Kennedy and Schauder, p. 291.
any restricted set of words and phrases that are used to describe documents within a given set.
A set of terms that have been carefully selected in order to avoid having multiple terms for the same subject; indexers often use a controlled vocabulary when they assign subject headings or descriptors to articles or books. A controlled vocabulary "controls" synonyms and is thus a powerful tool to use when searching databases.
terms selected from a standardized or "controlled" list. Often used in searching a database. An example is the Library of Congress Subject Headings. See: Search Techniques.
Standardized terms that are used to describe records in a database.
A specified list of terms developed by creators of catalogs and electronic databases to ensure precise and comprehensive searching. The terms chosen will vary from database to database. (See also Descriptor and Subject Heading)
Indexing terms that are used to describe the focus of documents in a database. Various types of controlled vocabulary include Thesaurus terms, Descriptors, Subject Terms, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), Subject Headings, etc. Thesaurus terms or Descriptors in Business Source Premier, ERIC, and PsycINFO CINAHL Headings in CINAHL and MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) in MEDLINE. Subheadings can be used to make a search term more specific. Subject Terms in Academic Search Premier.
A set of preferred terms used by an or database. There is usually a published listing or thesaurus which identifies the system's vocabulary. Example: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Subject terms under which other equivalent, synonymous, and/or related terms are grouped. Controlled vocabulary is also often assigned irregardless of the presence of certain keywords or phrases, so that information without specific keywords (but which matches your needs) can still be retrieved. These are commonly called “descriptors.
The use of specified terms and combinations of terms to describe a resource. The opposite of free text.
formal limits on a vocabulary, useful for consistent use of vocabulary terms.
a system of terms, involving, e.g., definitions, hierarchical structure, and cross-references, that is used to index and retrieve a body of literature in a bibliographic, factual, or other database. An example is the MeSH controlled vocabulary used in MEDLINE and other MEDLARS databases of the NLM.
A collection of words which have a common phonetic element; i.e., fight, right, might, light.
Standardized terms used to describe topics. In databases they are found in the subject headings or descriptors and can be used to help you search for information. (Unit 4 A Primer on Databases and Catalogs)
A list of authorized subject terms used as search terms, particularly in databases. See also Thesaurus.
descriptive words designated by the compilers of a database as preferred terms for searchers to use to maximize their results. For example, in the medical database MEDLINE, the preferred term for cancer is neoplasm. Searching by neoplasm will yield more results. Copyright – the right granted by law to the creator of a work (e.g., authors, composers, artists, etc.) to produce and sell that work.
A set of consistently used and carefully defined terms, previously selected and standardized.
The words and phrases used by a subject specialist when creating subject headings for an article, document, or book for a specific or catalog. For example, the books in Brookens' library collection are given subject headings from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Articles listed in the ERIC, PsycINFO, and other databases, are given subject headings by their subject specialists, or indexers. These subject headings are then listed in a thesaurus designed for that database. This provides consistency & order in the chosen words and phrases.
(or Thesaurus) The words and phrases used to describe the content of items represented in a library catalogue, , or database. The purpose of a controlled vocabulary is to allow the user more efficient access to related items by controlling the pattern, form, content and use of citation elements and subject headings.
An established list of terms (sometimes called a thesaurus) from which an indexer or cataloger uses to assign subject headings or descriptors.
consistent vocabulary used by indexers to describe the subjects of articles included in an index. For example, every article in a particular index that's about Restoration Drama has a subject heading that says "Drama - Restoration", instead of some that say "Drama - English Restoration", and some that say "Sophomoric Plays from England that Suck". Controlled vocabularies differ from index to index.
Because there are many possible words to use to describe the same subject, often one term is selected as the standard for use as a subject heading in a catalog or an index. Indices and catalogs sometimes provide a thesaurus, which lists their standard terminology. The controlled vocabulary used in the CAT is the Library of Congress Subject Headings list.
Preferred terms or phrases that are designated for use in a catalog, database, or other retrieval tool to be used for all the various phrases and words used to describe a concept. May also be called "descriptors" or "subject headings", and be listed in a "thesaurus".
The words and phrases used by a subject specialist when creating Subject Headings for an article, document, book, etc. for a specific index or catalog. For example, the books within the BSU Albertsons Library collection are given subject headings from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Articles listed in the ERIC database are given subject headings by the indexers of that database from the ERIC Thesaurus. Using a controlled vocabulary brings together items of similar subjects under a single term. Compare with Natural Language. Return to Page Contents
a standard set of terms used in a given domain
a fixed terminological set from which indexing and query terms are selected
a list of terms to be used in indexing (or cataloguing), often a thesaurus or synonym ring. Use of the same list by all indexers enhances consistency. Most libraries use the Library of Congress Subject Headings as a controlled vocabulary for cataloguing books and other library items.
Terminological dictionary containing (and restricted to) the terminology of a specific subject field or of related subject fields and based on terminologic work. (ISO 1087/CEN ENV 12264) For example, the terms used on a multidisciplinary problem list.
Assigned terms in a library catalog or database. Example: the Yellow Pages in the phone book list car dealerships under "Automobiles" instead of "Cars" or "Dealerships." Automobiles is the "controlled vocabulary" chosen by the creator of the yellow pages.
the practice of using specific terminology in a consistent and controlled fashion for better information searching and retrieval. An example is the use of the term "neoplasm" for all occurences of either "neoplasm" or "cancer" in the medical literature. While one may not always agree with the term chosen by producers of the vocabulary list (such as the National Library of Medicine, who produce the Medical Subject Headings used in MEDLINE), the consistency and control of the language is vital in making sure that you retrieve all documents pertaining to a certain concept, no matter how many different ways there are to describe it.
Assigned standardized terms used in searching a specific database or catalog. These terms will differ for each database.
A controlled vocabulary is a set of standard terms used to describe the contents of items found in a database, and is useful for drawing together, under a single word or phrase, all the material that is available on a particular topic. For example, the words and phrases used by a subject specialist when creating subject headings for an article, document, or book for a specific index or catalog are subject headings. Articles listed in databases such as PsycInfo and ERIC are given subject headings by their subject specialists, or indexers. These subject headings are then listed in a thesaurus designed for that database. This provides consistency in the chosen words and phrases as well as ensures better search results on many topics.
Vocabulary is a list of words and often phrases, usually arranged alphabetically and defined or translated, a lexicon or glossary. Controlled Vocabulary stays for the standardization of words, which may be used to search an index, abstract or information database. There is usually a published listing or thesaurus of preferred terms identifying the system's vocabulary.
A list of standardized words or phrases used in a particular database for computer searching. Descriptors and Library of Congress Subject Headings are controlled vocabularies.
A listing of words or terms which can be used as subject headings or descriptors in a particular database.
Standardized terms used in searching a specific database. These terms may differ for each database. (See also Descriptor, Free-text; Subject Heading).
a collection of controlled headings which consists of all acceptable terms that will provide direct access to records; unacceptable terms will be cross-referenced to the acceptable ones. Library of Congress Subject Headings is a controlled vocabulary.
A specified list of subject terms. Can also be called descriptors.
A predefined subset of natural language for tagging and indexing a collection of information objects. A controlled vocabulary lists the authorized terms to be used and their relationships. The use of a controlled vocabulary in an information system increases indexing consistency and helps match the searchers' natural language query with the index terms. There are four basic types of vocabulary control: Synonym ring, Authority files, Taxonomy, Thesaurus.
A set of official descriptors or terms, involving definitions, hierarchical structure, and cross-references, that is used to index and retrieve a body of literature in a bibliographic, factual, or other database. An example is the MeSH controlled vocabulary used in MEDLINE and the controlled vocabulary of the library of Congress Subject Headings. Controlled Vocabulary searching yields more relevant results than text word searching.
a set of official descriptors assigned to a particular entry in a database, illustrating the relationship between synonyms and preferred usage terms. Using controlled vocabulary to search will provide you with more focused results. Examples of controlled vocabulary include Library of Congress Subject Headings, MESH terms, and ERIC descriptors.
A set of subject terms, and rules for their use in assigning terms to materials for indexing and retrieval.
Words assigned to a specific subject area creating subject headings. Controlled vocabulary brings together items with similar subjects under one term. Libraries usually use the Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Controlled vocabularies are used in indexing schemes, subject headings , thearusi and taxonomies. Controlled vocabulary schemes mandates the uses of predefined, authorised terms that have being preselected by the designer of the controlled vocabulary as opposed to natural language vocabularies where there is no restriction on the vocabulary that can be used.
see: Authority Control