This book is designed primarily to help users find meaningful words for natural language, or free-text, computer searching of bibliographic and textual databases in the social and behavioral sciences. Additionally, it covers many socially relevant and technical topics not covered by the usual literary thesaurus, therefore it may also be useful for writers and speakers seeking alternative ways to express ideas. The more than 6,000 words and phrases cover the following subject areas: anthropology, business, current events, education, environmental concerns, geriatrics, medicine, mental health, political science, public administration, public affairs, psychiatry, psychology, religion, sociology, social work, and women's issues. Groups of synonyms and/or closely related terms are each listed alphabetically under a common name, or "concept title," e.g., "Artificial Intelligence," rather than "machine intelligence" or "computer thought." Concept titles appear in natural word order, with cross-references from other significant title words, e.g., "intelligence, artificial, see Artificial Intelligence." Common suffixes are provided in parentheses for word truncations or alternative word formations. Entries include a "Choose from" note followed by a group of words, followed by "with" and another group of words. Under the Artificial Intelligence (AI) entry, this note reads: "Choose from: simulat(ed,ing,ion,ions), model(s), synthesiz(e,ed,ing), emulat(e,ed,ing,ion), representation, computer(s); with: reasoning, intelligence, knowledge, thinking, thought, cognition, decision(s), problem solving.""Consider also" notes suggest related words or phrases, e.g. (using the AI example), "Consider also: intelligence system(s), knowledge engineering, knowledge system(s), knowledge base, heuristics, inference technique(s), expert system(s), inferential engine(s).""See also" notes refer to related records, e.g. (again, under AI), "See also: Cognition; Computers; Cybernetics; Heuristics; Intelligence; Robotics; User friendly systems." Because electronic searching is new to many people, the book also includes a section on the basics of computer searching and another on natural language searching, what it is, and when and how to use it. A "suggestion form for new concepts/terms" is provided for the user's convenience. Selected sources (60) used to compile the thesaurus are listed at the end of the book. System features of the popular online or CD-ROM search vendors, information on British spelling, and instructions for searching subsets of certain databases are provided in appendices. (JH)