InfoSkills for Social and Behavioral Sciences

Searching database fields

As explained in Module B, every document in a library database is indexed by breaking down key information - such as the title, author, publication year, and publisher mnash; into separate parts called fields. Field searching means looking for your terms within a specific field across all database records.

Most databases offer an Advanced Search page where you can select from multiple fields. By default, searches usually cover the entire record with an “All Fields” or “Anywhere” option. Other common fields you can search include Author, Title, Source or Publication Name (which refers to the journal title), Abstract, and subject-related fields like Keywords, Subjects, or Descriptors.

Databases often use short abbreviations called “field codes” to represent these fields, such as AU for Author, TI for Title, or SU for Subjects.

When to use field searching

Field searching is helpful when you want to narrow down your search results and find more precise information. Using field searching helps you avoid irrelevant results and makes your research more targeted and efficient.

It’s especially useful in these cases:

• You know specific details like the author’s name or the exact title of a document.
• You want to focus your search on a particular subject area or topic.
• You’re looking for documents that mention your search terms in specific parts, such as the abstract.
• You need to filter results by publication details like the journal name or publication year.

Using the PsycINFO database, a combined search in the Author, Subjects, and Source fields retrieves five highly relevant articles authored by Karin Tobin (and colleagues) on your topic, all published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.