Why use keywords?
Given the ubiquity of web-searching, it is essential nowadays that authors, editors, and publishers make every effort to ensure articles are found online, quickly and accurately, ideally within the Top Three "hits". The "key" to this is, we believe, the appropriate use of keywords.
Recent evidence suggests that a strong correlation exists between online hits and subsequent citations for journal articles. Search engines are beginning to rank highly as starting points. Students are increasingly more likely to start their research by using Google Scholar™, rather than by the traditional starting point of Abstracting and Indexing resources.
We know that the use of keywords helps to increase the chances of the article being located, and therefore cited.
How do search engines work?
Many search engines have their own algorithms for ranking sites, some by ranking the relevance of content and links to the site from other websites. Some search engines use metadata, or "meta-tagging", to assess relevant content. Most search engines, however, scan a page for keyword phrases, which gives emphasis to phrases in headings and/or repeated phrases. The number of other sites that link to a web page also indicates how that page is valued.
How can authors and editors improve search engine rankings for articles?
Authors should know the key phrases for their subject area. Reference to an established common indexing standard in a particular discipline is a useful starting point - GeoRef, ERIC Thesaurus, PsycInfo, ChemWeb, and so on.
Advice to journal editors
Authors should be required to supply keywords with their abstract(s). Keyword listings adjacent to the abstract of the article should also be used, as this adds weight to the terms on the page. Keyword terms may also differ from the actual text used in the title and abstract, but should accurately reflect what the article is about.
Advice to authors
Ensure your article title reflects what your paper is about. Try to avoid the "quirky" title. If you feel unable to do this, please add a sub-title, e.g. "Can't see the wood for the trees? An analysis of education policy initiatives, 1997-2005". Use key phrases rather than individual words in your article title, keywords and abstract, e.g. "policy initiative(s)", "education policy". Key phrases need to make sense within the title and abstract. Try to keep to a maximum of three or four different keyword phrases in an abstract, and avoid over-repetition of such phrases as this can look like an attempt to trick a search engine, which may result in a page being rejected. Check that the abstract reads well - the primary audience is the researcher.
What is Taylor & Francis doing to improve search engine rankings?
At Taylor & Francis, we are continuously working to improve the search engine rankings for our journals. Our linking program extends to many Abstracting and Indexing databases, library sites, and through participation in CrossRef™.
Taylor & Francis and Google Scholar™
As publishers of scholarly information, we work with Google ScholarTM to index peer-reviewed papers, theses, preprints, abstracts, and technical reports from all disciplines of research and make them searchable via Google ScholarTM.
Multiple versions of a work are grouped to improve its ranking. In many research areas versions of a work may appear as preprints and conference papers before being published as a journal article. These preliminary versions of a work are often cited in addition to the authoritative journal version. The number of citations to a particular work is an important part of determining its rank in the Google Scholar search results. Grouping versions allows us to collect all citations to all versions of a work. In practice, this can significantly improve the position of an article in the search results.
Publishers' full-text, if indexed, is the primary version. When multiple versions of a work are indexed, Google Scholar selects the full and authoritative text from the publisher as the primary version - and Google notes "we can only do this if we are able to successfully identify, crawl and process the full text of the publisher's version".
Taylor & Francis has control over access to our articles. Google aims to preserve their control over access to their content and only cache articles and papers that are not access-controlled. Publishers can help by identifying which regions of their sites are access-controlled.
