Books - CORE 165 - Core China (Hsu) - LibGuides at Colgate University Libraries

Suggested Subject Headings

Subject Headings vs. Keywords

Subject headings are very specific to a particular set of databases, or library catalogues. They are part of a controlled vocabulary, where a term is only used in a subject heading when the item is specifically about that term. Usually a person has assigned these terms based on their knowledge of what's in the book. For example, books with "Marriage" in their subject heading are mainly and specifically on the topic of Marriage.

Keywords are simply words that can appear anywhere in the title, subject heading, abstract or even full text of the article. If you search Marriage as a keyword, then you can locate books that mention marriage on a single page, or have a short chapter addressing Marriage.

Subject headings can narrow your search if your results are too broad. You can also combine keywords and subject headings in the advanced search in any database to narrow or broaden your results.

Colgate Libraries use the Library of Congress Subject Headings to organize our books, a system of controlled vocabulary created by the U.S. Library of Congress. These terms are used in libraries across the United States, but changing and updating the terms can take a very long time, through a complicated and political process. You may find that the subject heading terminology is outdated or even offensive or triggering. This list is not meant to be exhaustive.

Click on a subject heading to browse the catalogue for books on that topic.