 Search engines, like Google, seem to take the mystery out of finding information. If we need to know something, we often just Google it. And without a doubt, Google is an incredible tool, but research is more than simply googling a topic for quick and easy results. Research often requires the effective use of databases, systems in which huge amounts of information is collected and organized to make it more easily findable. Let's take a quick look at some differences between the way search engines like Google and databases like this one use language to retrieve information. When we Google something, our search terms reflect natural language. In other words, we enter whatever language we naturally use to describe our topic or question and Google fetches the results. So if I want information about space exploration, I might Google that exact phrase. But databases use language differently. Databases are built around controlled language. This means that specific terms or phrases are used to describe information. So if I use the same natural language that I used in Google to search the library catalog, I might be frustrated with the results. This is because there's often a gap between the way we naturally describe a topic and the way it's described in the databases. To use databases effectively, we must first be aware of this gap and then find ways to bridge the divide between natural and controlled language. Sometimes we can bridge the language gap by simplifying the concepts or search terms, or we can use alternative language. This natural language search can help me find some relevant items. But now, to bridge the gap, I want to use the databases controlled language to find more information on this topic. Clicking find more on these topics tells the database that we want to use its controlled language for our searching, and here's why. The database uses specific controlled language to organize information. And these specific terms or phrases are called subject headings. And by clicking on a subject heading, we can search using the database's controlled language. And this is the same for many article databases as well. Begin with natural language, but then use the subject headings to search with the databases terms, like this. You see, by using controlled vocabulary, we can be sure that every result in our list of returns is relevant, at least to our general topic. So the thing to keep in mind is this. Skilled researchers make search terms work by effectively employing both natural language and controlled language search strategies. If you have any questions, we're happy to help. Just ask a librarian and be sure to check out the other VidGuide resources brought to you by the Beam Library at Oklahoma Christian University.