Choosing the right keywords will help you ensure that your paper is picked up by relevant search engines and indexing services. This, in turn, will increase the visibility of your paper. This brief guide on keywords will enable you to - Understand what are keywords - Understand why journals ask for keywords - Recognize the importance of keywords in research - Choose the right keywords for your research paper

1. HOW
TO CHOOSE
The secret to making your research paper discoverable

2. What these slides will tell you
What are keywords?
Why do journals ask for keywords?
Why are keywords important in research?
How to choose the right keywords for your paper
Some tips to help you write good keywords for your paper

3. What are keywords?
• Keywords define the field, subfield, topic, main issue, etc.,
that are covered by the research paper.
• Most academic journals, search engines, and indexing &
abstracting services classify papers using keywords.
• Choosing the right keywords will help you ensure that
your paper is picked up by relevant search engines and
indexing services.
DID YOU KNOW?
Keywords make you paper searchable, thus helping other researchers
find your paper when they are conducting a search on the same topic.

4. Why do journals ask for keywords?
• Most researchers read only a few journals regularly.
Keywords point researchers to relevant papers, which
may escape their attention during their regular reading.
• Sometimes, researchers may overlook certain research
papers, because the titles of these papers may not
indicate the relevance of the research.
• In such cases, keywords supplement the information
given in the title and serve as additional pointers.

5. Why are keywords important in a research
paper?
An accurate list of keywords will
ensure correct indexing and
help showcase your research to
interested groups.
This in turn will increase the
chances of your paper being
cited.

6. How to choose the right keywords for your
paper (1/3)
 Read through your paper.
 List down the terms/phrases that are used
repeatedly in the text.
 Ensure that this list includes all key
terms/phrases and a few additional key
phrases.
 Include variants of a term/phrase (e.g., kidney
and renal), drug names, procedures, etc.
 Incorporate common abbreviations of terms
(e.g., HIV).

7. How to choose the right keywords for your
paper (2/3)
 Refer to a common vocabulary/term list or indexing
standard in your discipline — e.g., GeoRef, ERIC
Thesaurus, PsycInfo, ChemWeb, BIOSIS Search Guide,
etc.).
 Ensure that the terms you have used match those used
in these resources.

8. How to choose the right keywords for your
paper (3/3)
Before submitting your paper to a journal…
Type your keywords into a search engine and check if the search
results match the subject of your paper.
This will help you determine whether the keywords in your research
paper are appropriate for the topic of your article.
* Screenshot from American Psychological Association

9. Here’s what good keywords can do
1. Spinal cord
2. Vertebral column
3. Backbone
Potential Keywords
Let’s assume that your paper is about spine disorders…
Editor
Ah! Now that’s what
I call a great set of
keywords!
Reader
This paper was so easy
to find! I wish all authors
used such relevant keywords.
Author
WOW! So many
citations!

10. Keyword writing tips (1/2)
 Geographical regions
If the paper focuses on a particular region
(geographic, climatic, etc.), use that as a
keyword (e.g., semi-arid tropics, the polar
region, coniferous forests).
 Experimental methods
The experimental material and techniques
may suggest suitable keywords (e.g., HPLC,
alkaloids, x-ray crystallography, animal dung).

11. Keyword writing tips (2/2)
 Potential applications
Check whether potential applications can serve as
keywords (e.g., organic farming, treatment of cancer,
long-term preservation, energy efficiency).
 Phenomena/Issues
Use specific phenomena or issues as keywords (e.g.,
climate change, air pollution, sustainable
development, genetic engineering).
 Title
Do not use words or phrases from the title as
keywords.

12. Sources
• How to create keywords for a research paper
http://www.editage.com/insights/how-to-create-keywords-for-a-research-
paper
• How to write an effective title and abstract and choose appropriate keywords
http://www.editage.com/insights/how-to-write-an-effective-title-and-
abstract-and-choose-appropriate-keywords
• Why do journals ask for keywords?
http://www.editage.com/insights/why-do-journals-ask-for-keywords
• What is the importance of keywords in a research paper?
http://www.editage.com/insights/what-is-the-importance-of-keywords-in-a-
research-paper
• How to write an effective title and abstract and choose appropriate keywords
http://www.editage.com/insights/how-to-write-an-effective-title-and-
abstract-and-choose-appropriate-keywords

13. www.editage.com/insights
@EditageInsights
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