A thesaurus is a directory of descriptive subject terms assigned to resources that make them easier to find
(AKA a "controlled vocabulary" -- think of it as a sophisticated method of "tagging" resources!)
Helps you to improve your keyword search results
Identifies search terms assigned resources across disciplines
Tells you the history of a term -- if it's outdated...or brand new to the field
Generates search terms that are broader or narrower in scope
APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms
The APA Thesaurus is available when searching APA databases, such as PsycInfo, directly in the ProQuest individual interface. Terms are developed and assigned by the APA, so this thesaurus is subject-specific.
You can use subject terms from the thesaurus to actually construct your search, or just use the thesaurus as a tool to develop better keywords.
More help on searching using the APA Thesaurus can be found here.
Try starting your search in PsycInfo here!
MeSH is a publicly available resource and its subject headings are used to describe content appearing in MEDLINE/PubMed, the NLM Catalog, and other NLM databases
More help on searching with MeSH can be found here
Tutorials and webinars on MeSH are available here