Thesauri for subject indexing

Thesauri in various subject areas and languages that can be used for subject indexing of journal articles in the Knowledge for All system. All are free to use and some are free to download.

Title Website Maintained by Language Subjects Last updated Number of entries
African Studies Thesaurus Link Library, Documentation and Information Department of the African Studies Centre Leiden English African studies 2006 5200
AFS Ethnographic Thesaurus Link American Folklore Society, Mershon Center, The Ohio State University English art, dance, Entertainment, governance, health, language, law, literature, material culture, music, performance, Recreation, ritual, social dynamics, transmission, verbal arts 2004 10597
AGRIFOREST Glossary (AFO) Link Helsinki University Library, Viikki Campus Library Finnish agriculture, environment, food, forestry Current 7000
AGROVOC Thesaurus Link A global community of librarians, terminologists, information managers and software developers Arabic, Chinese, Czech, English, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Thai agriculture Current 40000
Anthropological Index Online Keywords Link Royal Anthropological Institute & Centre for Anthropology, British Museum English anthropology, archaeology, folklore, linguistics, world religion Current
Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) Thesaurus Link Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) English, French, Spanish aquatic science, fisheries, marine science
Architecture Thesaurus Link FAUD Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish architecture, arts, humanities 2009 8036
Astronomy Thesaurus Link International Astronomical Union English, French, German, Italian, Spanish astronomy 1993
Astronomy Thesaurus Link Robyn M. Shobbrook, Robert R. Shobbrook English, French, German, Italian, Spanish astronomy, earth science 2010 2945
Australia-Japan Research Project Keyword Thesaurus Link Australian War Memorial English, Japanese government, Military, war 1996
Australian Governments' Interactive Functions Thesaurus (AGIFT) Link Australian Government / National Archives of Australia English Various 2007
Australian OHS Thesaurus Link Safe Work Australia English safety, work 2003
Australian Pictorial Thesaurus Link State Library of New South Wales English art 2000
Australian Public Affairs Information Service (APAIS) Thesaurus Link Australian Public Affairs Information Service (APAIS) English humanities, social sciences Current
Biocomplexity Thesaurus Link National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) English aquatic science, biology, ecotourism, fisheries, life science, pollution Current
British Museum Object Names Thesaurus Link British Museum English art, European history, history, museum 1999
CAB Thesaurus Link CABI English life sciences, social sciences, technology Current 64000
Canada School of Public Service Controlled Vocabulary Link Canada School of Public Service National Library English, French accounting, education, employment, information, management, public service, trends
Canadian Geographical Names Data Base (CGNDB) Link Natural Resources Canada, Geomatics Canada, Secretariat of the Geographical Names Board of Canada English, French geographic areas, geographic names, geography 2011
Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Indexing Terms Link Citizenship and Immigration Canada English, French citizenship, government, immigration, population 2002
Canadian Information by Subject Link Library and Archives Canada English, French Various Current
Canadian Literacy Thesaurus Link Canadian Literacy Thesaurus/Thésaurus canadien d' alphabétisation English, French education, literacy 2008 2097
Canadian Subject Headings Link Library and Archives Canada English Various Current
CAS General Subject Vocabulary Helper Link The Chemical Information Network English chemistry, science 2002 150000
Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) Dictionary and Thesaurus Link United States Army English government, Military Current
Civil Engineering Database Subject Heading List Link American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) English civil engineering, environmental engineering, management, planning, transportation Current 7800
Connecting Mathematics Thesaurus Link University of Cambridge Danish, English, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovak, Spanish mathematics
Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL) Thesaurus Link Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL) Dutch, English, French, German, Italian corporate bodies, European history, geographic place names, personal names Current
Controlled Health Thesaurus Link Centers for Disease Control (CDC) English public health 2005 42640
Convention on Biodiversity Controlled Vocabulary Link Convention on Biodiversity Secretariat English biological science, environment, management 2003
CRA Controlled Subject Vocabulary (CRACSV) Link Canadian Revenue Agency English, French business, economics, taxes 2006
CRTC Thesaurus Link Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission English, French media, television, Various
Cultural Studies Thesaurus Link Finnish Literature Society's library Finnish anthropology, cultural studies, ethnomusicology, folklore, religion, science Current 1566
Defence Administration Thesaurus Link Finnish defence Current
Department of Finance Controlled Subject Vocabulary Link Department of Finance English, French economics, finance, policy, trade Current
Design, Communication, Arts, and Crafts Thesaurus Link Tellervo Krogerus, Mirja Kälviäinen, Riitta-Liisa Leskinen and Anne Mikkanen Finnish arts, communication, crafts, design 2005
DTIC Thesaurus Link Defense Technical Information Center English Various 2011 16463
Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Link CSC (private company) for US Dept of Education English education Current
Environmental Protection Agency: Terms of Environment Link U.S. Environmental Protection Agency English environment 2009
ETDE/INIS Joint Thesaurus Link International Nuclear Information System (INIS), Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE) English applied life sciences, chemistry, earth science, engineering, materials science, nuclear energy, physics 2010
European Education Thesaurus (Tesauro Europeo de la Educación) Link Commission of the European Communities, Council of Europe Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish education, learning 2003 3425
European Language Social Science Thesaurus (ELSST) Link Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish crime, demography, economics, education, employment, health, law, politics, social sciences, sociology, technology Current
European Training Thesaurus - ETT Link European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) English, French education, employment, training 2007 2538
Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST) Link OCLC English Various Current
Finnish General Thesaurus Link Helsinki University Library Finnish Various Current
Finnish Maritime thesaurus Link Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences Metsola library English, Finnish, Swedish maritime, shipping Current 1300
Functions of New Zealand Thesaurus Link New Zealand English government, New Zealand, Social science 2004 1543
GCMD's Science Keywords and Associated Directory Keywords Link NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center English agriculture, climate, data, earth science, oceans Current
GEneral Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus Link European Environment Agency (EEA) and its Network (Eionet) Arabic, Basque, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish administration, environment, geography, science 2004 5298
GeoNames Link GeoNames English geographic names Current 10000000
Geosanasto Geological and Geographical Place Names Link Geological Survey of Finland English, Finnish geography, geology 2008
Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus Link Getty Research Institute English architecture, art Current 131000
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names Link Getty Research Institute English geographic place names Current 1106000
Global Change Master Directory Science Keywords Link Natural Resources Canada, Earth Sciences Sector, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, GeoAccess Division English, French agriculture, aquaculture, biology, earth science, forestry
Global Legal Information Network Subject Term Index Link Library of Congress Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian law
Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus Link Library and Archives Canada English, French Various Current 2173
GSAFD Genre Terms Link OCLC English art, literature 153
Guidelines on Subject Access to Individual Works of Fiction, Drama, etc. Link American Library Association English Drama, fiction, films, folklore, humor, poetry, Works of Fiction 2000 377
Health Canada Controlled Subject Vocabulary Link Public Affairs, Consultation and Regions Branch, Health Canada English, French health, nutrition, public health, science Current
HealthInsite A-Z Health Topics Link healthdirect Australia English health 2011
HIV/AIDS Treatment Thesaurus Link CATIE English health, HIV/AIDS, medicine
Humanioratesaurusen Humord Link University Libraries in Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø and Trondheim Norwegian humanities Current 20500
Humanities and Social Science Electronic Thesaurus (HASSET) Link UK Data Archive, University of Essex English crime, demography, economics, education, employment, environment, health, humanities, law, social sciences, sociology, technology Current
ICPSR Subject Thesaurus Link University of Michigan, Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research English criminal justice, demography, economics, education, gerontology, history, international relations, law, political science, public health, sociology Current 3614
INAC Subject Thesaurus Link Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Departmental Library English, French Aboriginal peoples, arts, culture, education, employment, environment, health 2009 1300
Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary Link PSV Board English e-goverment, government, social sciences, united kingdom 2006 7943
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Link Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility English, French, Portuguese, Spanish agriculture, biological science, environmental science, natural resources, taxonomy Current
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Thesaurus Link Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) English criminal justice, demography, economics, education, geographic place names, gerontology, history, international relations, law, organization names, personal names, political science, public health, Social science, sociology
International Labour Organization (ILO) Thesaurs Link International Labour Organization (ILO) English, French, Spanish development, labour, occupational health and safety, work 2008 4000
InterWATER thesaurus Link IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre English sanitation, water 2011 3314
Kula - Cultural Studies Thesaurus Link SKS English, Finnish culture Current 1566
Learning Resource Exchange (LRE) Thesaurus Link European Schoolnet Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Swedish education, Various 2007
Legislative Indexing Vocabulary Link Congressional Research Service English government, law 2009 5000
Library of Congress Subject Authority Headings (LCSH) Link Library of Congress English Various Current
Library of Parliament Subject Headings - EKS Link Finland Library of Parliament English, Finnish, Swedish Various
Linguistics Thesaurus Link Anna-Liisa Kristiansson-Seppälä , and Ulla-Maija Kulonen English, Estonian, Finnish, German linguistics 2003
Lista de Términos Museológicos de Arte del Catálogo Colectivo Acceder Link GCBA - Ministerio de Cultura - Programa de Tecnologías Aplicadas a la Cultura English, German, Portuguese, Spanish art, Art School, Artistic Techniques, Arts & Humanities, materials, museums 2006 7053
Mammal Species of the World Link Bucknell Univesity English animals, biology, science, taxonomies, technology 2007 13578
MDA Archaeological Objects Thesaurus Link MDA, English Heritage, Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England English archaeological objects, museums, Various 1998 2121
Medical Subject Headings (MESH) Link National Library of Medicine English medicine Current
Metatesaurus Rex Link FinMeSH Finnish life science, medical
Moving Image Genre Form Guide Link Library of Congress English film, genres 1998 150
MULTHES Multilingual Geological Matter Lexicon Link Geological Survey of Finland English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish geography, geology 2010
Multilingual Egyptological Thesaurus Link Centre for Computer-aided Egyptological Research Dutch, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish Egyptology
Museum Domain Thesaurus Link Helsinki University Library Finnish art, history, museums Current
NASA Thesaurus Link NASA English aerospace engineering, astronomy, astrophysics, biological science, earth science, engineering, physics, planetary science 2010 18460
National Agricultural Library Thesaurus Link National Agricultural Library English, Spanish agriculture, biology, business, economics, environment, food, government, law, natural resources, science Current 80000
National Library of Medicine Classification Link U.S. National Library of Medicine English medicine Current
National Monuments Record Archaeological Sciences Thesaurus Link National Monuments Record English archaeology
National Monuments Record Defence Of Britain Thesaurus (NMR) Link English Heritage English government, Military 2011
National Monuments Record Evidence Thesaurus (NMR) Link English Heritage English Building, construction 2011
National Monuments Record Main Building Materials Thesaurus (NMR) Link English Heritage English architecture, construction 2011
National Monuments Record Maritime Craft Type Thesaurus (NMR) Link English Heritage English maritime 2011
National Monuments Record Maritime Place Name Thesaurus (NMR) Link English Heritage English geographic place names, geography, martitime 2011
National Monuments Record Monument Type Thesaurus Link English Heritage English geographic names, Monuments, urban planning 2011
NEWT Link Universal Protein Resource (UniProt) English biology, organism types Current 947541
Ngā Ūpoko Tukutuku / Māori Subject Headings Link LIANZA, Te Rōpū Whakahau, National Library of New Zealand English, Māori Various Current 1000
North American Industry Classification System Link U.S. Economic Classification Policy Committee (ECPC), Statistics Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Geografia e Informatica English agriculture, arts, construction, education, Entertainment, finance, Fishing and Hunting, Food Services, forestry, Health Care, information, Insurance, Manufacturing, Mining, Oil, Public Administration, Real Estate, Recreation, science, trade, transportation, Utilities 2007
OECD Macrothesaurus Link Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) English, French, Spanish agriculture, demography, development, economics, education, environment, industry, labour, law, management, science, trade, transportation 1991
Optics Classification and Indexing Scheme Link Optical Society of America English optics 2011 1100
Peace and Security Studies Thesaurus Link University of Pittsburgh University Center for International Studies English arms control, conflict, geopolitical, Military, war 2006 1330
Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme Link American Institute of Physics English astronomy, astrophysics, physics 2010
Population Multilingual Thesaurus Link CICRED English, French, Spanish data collection, economy, education, employment, environment, family, fertility, history, information, natural resources, nutrition, population, Various
Public Health Language Link North East Public Health Observatory English Health Care 2010 2176
Public Technical Reports Thesaurus Link Defense Technical Information Center English government, Military Current
Publishing and Depository Services Program - subject thesaurus Link Depository Services Program English Various 2010 2157
Regions of Canada Link Natural Resources Canada, Earth Sciences Sector, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, GeoAccess Division English, French Canada, geographic place names
Standard Industrial Classification Link U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Danish, English, Spanish agriculture, communications, construction, Electric, finance, Forestry and Fishing, Gas, Insurance, Manufacturing, Mining, Public Administration, Real Estate, trade, transportation
Statistics Canada Thesaurus Link Statistics Canada English, French Various 2008
STW Thesaurus for Economics Link German National Library of Economics (ZBW) / Leibniz Information Centre for Economics English, German business, economics, geographic names Current 6000
Subjects of New Zealand Thesaurus Link SONZ English General, New Zealand, Social science 2006 1937
Svenska ämnesord Link National Library of Sweden Swedish Various Current
TAGS - Thesaurus of Australian Government Subjects Link Australian Government English Australia, governance, Various 2010 3216
Tesauro de Biología Link Grupo Doteine Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish biology, education, science, technology 2005 462
Tesauro de Derecho Link Grupo Doteine Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish education, law, social sciences 2005 205
Tesauro EUROVOC Link European Union Spanish General 2004 14024
Tesauro Geográfico Link CINDOC Catalan, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish geographic places, geography, social sciences 2004 14873
Theology Thesaurus Link Leo Näreaho, Helsinki University Finnish theology Current
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials (TGM) Link Library of Congress English art, Various Current 7650
Thesaurus for Use in College and University Archives Link Society of American Archivists English academic affairs, administration, corporate culture, Events, history, infrastructure, sports, student life 2010 1132
Transport Canada Thesaurus Link Transport Canada Library English, French transportation 2008
Transportation Research Thesaurus Link Transportation Research Board English communication, construction, design, management, organization, planning, safety, security, transportation
U.S. Patent Classification System Link United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) English technology 165000
UK Archival Thesaurus (UKAT) Link UKAT Editor, University of London Computer Centre English communication, culture, economics, education, Events, human sciences, information, law, politics, science, social sciences
UNBIS Thesaurus Link Dag Hammarskjöld Library, United Nations Department of Public Information Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish Various Current 7000
UNESCO Thesaurus Link UNESCO English, French, Spanish communication, culture, economics, education, law, politics, science, social sciences 2002
United Nations Multilingual Terminology Database Link DGACM [Department for General Assembly and Conference Management] Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish Various Current 85000
USAID Thesaurus Link Development Experience Clearinghouse English agriculture, communications, countries, culture, development, economics, education, environment, geographic areas, government, health, industry, law, management, science, society, technology
USGS Thesaurus / United States Geological Survey Link U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey English biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, science, technology, water 2010 1913
VESA Web Thesaurus Link Helsinki University Library Finnish, Swedish General, music Current
Vocabulario Controlado de Filosofia Link BIBLIOTECA English, German, Portuguese, Spanish Arts & Humanities, philosophy 2004 643
VOCED thesaurus Link National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) English Various 2006