Journals ask you to write five to six keywords for the article that you submit to them. It is possible that you have selected a few keywords without keeping in mind the importance of the keywords. If yes, let’s see how your keywords impact your article’s online visibility and of course, citations by other authors.
Keywords are the gateways for other authors/ researchers to discover your article. They serve the purpose of disseminating research findings. Earlier, keywords used to be the key concepts of an article but with advances in technology, they are much more than simply key concepts of your articles. They are used to index your article on journals’ websites and Google Scholar increasing the article’s online visibility and number of citations.
Journals put a lot of effort to optimise Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and increase their impact factor. This practice benefits both you and the journal. Check if you have taken into account the following tips while selecting the keywords.
- How would you google your research area if you want to read a related paper? Try finding out. Now, select those words or phrases that are most significant (from your article) as well as relevant in your area (that you found on Google).
- Keywords in your abstract boost the SEO and hence increase the chances of including in google searches. Capture the key concepts of your article in your abstract so that you may select those as your keywords.
- Choose words or phrases that are both common and specific to your research area. Too generic words tend to bring readers who may not be interested in your area.
Example of effective keywords:
Source: https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/resources/writing-paper-ebook/
