Controlled Vocabulary

Uncontrolled Vocabulary
Controlled vocabulary consists of terms that are established in order to group similar items. The Library of Congress Subject Headings are an example of controlled vocabulary. Once one establishes the correct term for a concept, all similar items, whether they use that term or not, should be collocated.

Example: "heart attack" vs. "myocardial infarction"

Controlled vocabularies usually have "Thesauri."

 Uncontrolled vocabulary consists of terms as they appear in an object. The term "keyword" is often synonymous with "uncontrolled vocabulary". The majority of Internet searching relies upon uncontrolled vocabulary.

Example: "broken heart" vs. "myocardial infarction"

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