Online thesauri are available in many databases on CAS IP Finder. An online thesaurus is useful when you want to:
- Develop a search strategy with controlled terminology
- Learn the terminology of the field and develop a free-text search strategy
The availability of thesauri varies by database. Check the Database Summary Sheet to see what thesauri are available in the database you wish to search.
Example Use Cases
Example 1: Developing a search strategy of controlled terminology - Search the literature on hepatitis vaccines in MEDLINE®
- Enter Medline.
- Expand on a term in the Controlled Term (/CT) field.
- The thesaurus entry for HEPATITIS VACCINE shows that it is not a valid CT term (0 postings) and has no associated thesaurus terms.
- To find all associated terms for E4, EXPAND on E4 followed by +ALL. E2 displays preferred term (USE) and its number of references.
- To display information on all associated thesaurus terms for a valid CT term, enter the valid CT term (E2) followed by +ALL. Broader Terms are identified as BT. Narrower Terms are identified as NT.
- Search any of the E-numbers or E-number ranges. You can also search an E-number followed by + and a relationship code.
Example 2. Developing a free-text search strategy - Search CAplus and COMPENDEX on the uses of photolithography in semiconductor manufacturing.
- Enter CAplus.
- Expand in the CT thesaurus to identify terminology for photolithography.
Photolithography is a valid controlled term. Additional terminology is noted in the Narrower Terms (NT). - Enter COMPENDEX.
- EXPAND in its thesaurus.
- Enter CAplus and COMPENDEX.
- Enter SET MSTEPS ON to create separate L-numbers for searches in the two databases.
- Using the SEARCH or QUERY command, create a free-text search query using terms found in the CT thesauri of these databases.
For more information: Refer to the CAS IP Finder Database Summary Sheets. For database-specific thesaurus information, enter HELP THESAURUS at an arrow prompt for a list of fields with an online thesaurus. Enter HELP RCODES to find definitions of all database-specific relationship codes, e.g., NT, BT, that you may use with EXPAND or SEARCH in the thesaurus fields.
Solution images are included for illustrative purposes only. Edited for brevity. Your experience may vary based on recent enhancements or product license.