Keyword searches typically return high volume, low relevancy records; however they offer a flexible and convenient way of searching. Pros and cons of keyword searches are:
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Cons
Subject heading searches retrieve records that have the search term in the subject headings part of that record. The volume of records varies widely. Some searches will retrieve hundreds of results, but if you choose a nonexistent subject term, you will get nothing. The relevancy of results is high, as long as you identify the correct subject for your topic. The flexibility of your search is limited by the manner in which subjects are structured in the database that you are searching.
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Cons