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Title, Abstract and Keywords

The importance of titles.

The title of your manuscript is usually the first introduction readers (and reviewers) have to your work. Therefore, you must select a title that grabs attention, accurately describes the contents of your manuscript, and makes people want to read further.

An effective title should:

  • Convey the  main topics  of the study
  • Highlight the  importance  of the research
  • Be  concise
  • Attract  readers

Writing a good title for your manuscript can be challenging. First, list the topics covered by the manuscript. Try to put all of the topics together in the title using as few words as possible. A title that is too long will seem clumsy, annoy readers, and probably not meet journal requirements.

Does Vaccinating Children and Adolescents with Inactivated Influenza Virus Inhibit the Spread of Influenza in Unimmunized Residents of Rural Communities?

This title has too many unnecessary words.

Influenza Vaccination of Children: A Randomized Trial

This title doesn’t give enough information about what makes the manuscript interesting.

Effect of Child Influenza Vaccination on Infection Rates in Rural Communities: A Randomized Trial This is an effective title. It is short, easy to understand, and conveys the important aspects of the research.

Think about why your research will be of interest to other scientists. This should be related to the reason you decided to study the topic. If your title makes this clear, it will likely attract more readers to your manuscript. TIP: Write down a few possible titles, and then select the best to refine further. Ask your colleagues their opinion. Spending the time needed to do this will result in a better title.

Abstract and Keywords

The Abstract is:

  • A  summary  of the content of the journal manuscript
  • A time-saving  shortcut  for busy researchers
  • A guide to the most important parts of your manuscript’s written content

Many readers will only read the Abstract of your manuscript. Therefore, it has to be able to  stand alone . In most cases the abstract is the only part of your article that appears in indexing databases such as Web of Science or PubMed and so will be the most accessed part of your article; making a good impression will encourage researchers to read your full paper.

A well written abstract can also help speed up the peer-review process. During peer review, referees are usually only sent the abstract when invited to review the paper. Therefore, the abstract needs to contain enough information about the paper to allow referees to make a judgement as to whether they have enough expertise to review the paper and be engaging enough for them to want to review it.

Your Abstract should answer these questions about your manuscript:

  • What was done?
  • Why did you do it?
  • What did you find?
  • Why are these findings useful and important?

Answering these questions lets readers know the most important points about your study, and helps them decide whether they want to read the rest of the paper. Make sure you follow the proper journal manuscript formatting guidelines when preparing your abstract.

TIP: Journals often set a maximum word count for Abstracts, often 250 words, and no citations. This is to ensure that the full Abstract appears in indexing services.

Keywords  are a tool to help indexers and search engines find relevant papers. If database search engines can find your journal manuscript, readers will be able to find it too. This will increase the number of people reading your manuscript, and likely lead to more citations.

However, to be effective, Keywords must be chosen carefully. They should:

  • Represent  the content of your manuscript
  • Be  specific  to your field or sub-field

Manuscript title:  Direct observation of nonlinear optics in an isolated carbon nanotube

Poor keywords:  molecule, optics, lasers, energy lifetime

Better keywords:  single-molecule interaction, Kerr effect, carbon nanotubes, energy level structure

Manuscript title:  Region-specific neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration Poor keywords:  neuron, brain, OA (an abbreviation), regional-specific neuronal degeneration, signaling

Better keywords:  neurodegenerative diseases; CA1 region, hippocampal; okadaic acid; neurotoxins; MAP kinase signaling system; cell death

Manuscript title:  Increases in levels of sediment transport at former glacial-interglacial transitions

Poor keywords:  climate change, erosion, plant effects Better keywords:  quaternary climate change, soil erosion, bioturbation

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How to Write a Research Paper

  • Formulate Questions/Thesis
  • Identify Keywords
  • Find Background Info
  • Search Strategies
  • Dissertations
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  • Statistics This link opens in a new window
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  • Scholarly | General This link opens in a new window
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  • Quote, Paraphrase, Summarize

Generate Keywords

  • Keyword Generator University of Texas. Tutorial that walks you through generating keywords.

how do you write keywords in a research paper

Image source: Powernowllc. CC0 1.0.  Wikimedia Commons.

What Are Keywords?

Keywords are important words/concepts found in your research question or thesis. 

how do you write keywords in a research paper

A quick and dirty way to pull keywords from a research question/thesis is to choose the most important nouns ; all other words are irrelevant.

Using keywords to search will always retrieve more results than phrases or sentences.

Image source:  Producer.  CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons

Find Keywords

how do you write keywords in a research paper

  • within your research question or thesis
  • in encyclopedias used in background research
  • in bibliographies found at the end of books and  articles
  • in a thesaurus (or in Word's thesaurus under the Review tab)
  • by asking a librarian

Image source:  Evan-Amos .  Public Domain.  Wikimedia Commons.

Chart Keywords

  • Keyword Chart

how do you write keywords in a research paper

Keywords have a profound impact on search results. Using the right words will speed up the research process, while the wrong ones can bring to it to a painfully screeching halt.

If the keywords you initially choose do not give good results, try others on your list, try search strategies , or ask a librarian for help.

Use the chart above to document keywords related to your topic.  Keep it by your side when you start your research.

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  • Last Updated: Feb 7, 2024 12:23 PM
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  • Writing Tips

How to Choose the Best Keywords for Your Research Paper

How to Choose the Best Keywords for Your Research Paper

  • 6-minute read
  • 29th July 2023

After writing a research paper, you will want others to find your research online. But how? Through social media? By telling your friends? You could. The only thing is that scholars and researchers typically find research through academic databases and search engines. To get your research noticed, you need to include keywords in your paper. But why do keywords matter? How can you choose the right keywords?

We’ll answer these questions in this post. You’ll learn how to choose the best keywords for a research paper . Additionally, you’ll learn:

  • The importance of keywords.
  • Strategies for choosing quality keywords.
  • Where to include keywords in a paper.

While keywords may seem insignificant, failing to include them is a mistake when writing research papers . Quality keywords accurately represent the content of your research, allowing scholars in your field to find it in an online search quickly.

Why Are Keywords Important?

Keywords make it easy for others to find your research in search engines and academic databases. Finding relevant research papers can be arduous, so readers circumvent this by using specific phrases and terms to find research that aligns with their interests. Therefore, you need to include keywords to match those phrases and terms. Without quality keywords, your research will end up in the academic abyss.

In short, keywords:

●  Produce precise search results.

●  Save researchers time and effort as they search for material.

●  Enhance discoverability (i.e., help others find your research fast).

●  Ensure that your paper is properly categorized in databases.

As a rule, you should choose five keywords maximum for research papers.

Strategies for Choosing Robust Keywords

1. avoid long phrases and ambiguity.

For keywords in research papers, most journals request phrases that are one to four words in length, meaning no complete sentences. Try using nouns whenever possible, and avoid using conjunctions such as and . It’s also worth mentioning that you should avoid using terms that are in your paper’s title.

Use distinct keywords that are directly related to your research. Generic terms don’t reflect specific terms that potential readers use during their search.

2. Consider Your Audience

Who is your targeted audience? Educators? Engineers? Consider potential terms or phrases your audience would use to search for your research, then modify chosen keywords to match your audience’s terminology. Understanding your audience is vital for creating quality keywords.

3. Identify Core Concepts

What are the core concepts, topics, and themes of your research? These are the main ideas that the paper addresses, which can be found in the abstract section. Make a list of these items.

Let’s say your paper is about cyberbullying in high schools. Examples of core concepts/terms related to the research include:

●  Digital harassment

●  Exclusion

●  Trolling

●  Anonymity (the state of being nameless)

●  Impact on student mental health

●  Prevention and education

Core concepts, topics, and themes can be a few words or phrases. Once you’ve identified them, consider how to turn them into specific keywords.

4. Consult Similar Research

Consulting research papers on your topic is a great way to find keywords. As you research them, examine the keywords they use to describe their content. This can provide insight into commonly accepted terms and terminology within your field. We suggest researching at least three related papers.

5. Use Synonyms and Variations

Readers interested in your field will use different terminology in their online search. Therefore, you need to use synonyms and variations of your chosen keywords. Synonyms are words that have the same meaning as another word.

To illustrate this, let’s take the previous example of the paper about cyberbullying in high schools. You could use the following keywords for this research:

●  Cyberbullying awareness

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●  Online safety

●  Cyberbullying education

●  Student online behavior

What synonyms could you use for these keywords? Let’s try this:

●  Cyberbullying perception

●  Virtual security

●  Online harassment education

●  Student online conduct

You can play around with synonyms until you find ones that resonate with you. Using an online thesaurus, such as Word Hippo , can make finding synonyms a breeze.

6. Include Acronyms and Abbreviations

Does your paper contain commonly used acronyms and abbreviations , such as DNA and AI? If so, consider including them as keywords, as readers often use acronyms and abbreviations to find relevant research. This will significantly increase the chances of readers finding your work.

However, we don’t recommend using acronyms or abbreviations that are only known within your field. A general audience will likely be unfamiliar with them. We suggest spelling them out in full if you think they would be strong keywords. You should also spell the definition as a keyword if the abbreviation or acronym appears in the paper’s title.

7. Test Your Keywords for Optimal Results

Once you’ve compiled your best keywords, test them in search engines and academic databases to see if they produce the right results. Think of it as testing a tent in your backyard before going out into the woods for an overnight camping trip. If there are problems with the tent during the backyard test, you can at least retreat into your house. Likewise, if the chosen keywords don’t generate positive results in a test, you can refine them before submitting the paper.

Where Are Keywords Included in a Paper?

Some sources insist that you include keywords in the title, while others say subheadings are better. Most academic journals require paying a subscription to access full articles. However, one can easily access a paper’s abstract in academic search engines like Google Scholar.

Therefore, we recommend including keywords in the abstract section. Additionally, it provides an overall summary of your paper, making it the ideal spot for keywords.

Let’s summarize what we’ve learned:

●  Keywords help readers find your research in search engines.

●  Aim for five keywords.

●  Keywords should be one to four words in length.

●  Identify a potential audience before selecting keywords.

●  Consult similar research for samples of appropriate keywords.

●  Use word variations (synonyms).

●  Include abbreviations and acronyms.

●  Test keywords before submitting the paper.

Finally, for our visual readers, we recommend this video on choosing the best keywords for a paper.

As with any writing, we strongly recommend proofreading your research paper before submission. It needs to be checked for common errors such as typos and extra spacing. We understand the challenges of proofreading, which is why we recommend asking us to proofread and review your writing . We can check that the paper is clear and concise. Additionally, we will ensure perfect grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Consider submitting a 500-word document for free!

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APA 7th Edition Style Guide

  • Abstracts & Keywords
  • Authors & Publication Dates
  • Titles & Sources
  • In-line, Within-Text Citation ch.8
  • Is this a "real" journal? evaluating journals
  • Tables and Figures
  • Librarian contact

Always follow the abstract guidelines by the journal you are wishing to publish in. That being said, these are some general requirements for writing abstracts:

  • An abstract is a summary of the research or article.  Essentially the goal of the abstract is to give a one or two sentence summary from each section  of the article, which typically contains an introduction, methods or design, results, discussion or conclusion. There can be of course deviations from this, but this is typical
  • abstracts are in paragraph form. However, some journals have specific formats, one example is below.
  • The norm is for 200-250 words for the abstract. Be concise.

What are the keywords for? They are used for indexing and abstracting of your articles, i.e., they help people searching in databases to be able to find your article.

What should I use for keywords? Basically you want to use words that collectively describe your research. They should summarize what your article is about. Look at some publications in your research area and see how they write their keywords. Really think about what the keywords in that particular research are describing or trying to focus on. 

What is the format for keywords? Always follow the journal guidelines that you are publishing in. Most likely they will have specifics. Following APA 7th edition guidelines, the phrase Keywords is to be in italics with a colon, followed by the keywords or phrases separated by commas. After the last keyword, no punctuation is used.   

So if I were writing keywords for this research guide I might use:

Keywords: library research guides, LibGuides, APA 7th edition, citation styles

Abstracts & Keywords: Examples

Vollbehr, N. K., Hoenders, H. J. R., Bartels‐Velthuis, A. A., Nauta, M. H., Castelein, S., Schroevers, M. J., Stant, A.D., de Jong, P.J., &  Ostafin, B. D. (2020). A mindful yoga intervention for young women with major depressive disorder: Design and baseline sample characteristics of a randomized controlled trial.  International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 29 , Article e1820. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1820

how do you write keywords in a research paper

Reddy-Best, K.L. & Choi, E. (2020). "Male hair cannot extend below plane of the shoulder" and "no cross dressing": critical queer analysis of high school dress codes in the United States. Journal of Homosexuality , 67 (9):1290-1340.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2019.1585730

In this study, we questioned how high school dress codes outlined in official handbooks were written or presented in regard to the gender binary, either/or perspective. We critically analyzed how or if they allowed for flexibility in expression of gender and sexual identity and if they supported, encouraged, or affirmed a variety of expressions, in particular transgender and gender non-conforming expressions, throughout the text or images. The content analysis method was used to analyze 735 handbooks from the 2016 to 2017 school year. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) support of fluid gender expression, yet not overt support; (2) passive marginalization of gender non-conforming or transgender identities or expressions; and (3) active marginalization of gender non-conforming or transgender identities or expressions. The “LGBTQ+ Dress Code Analysis Tool” was developed for policy makers to use to analyze their dress codes.

Keywords : Dress code, gender, high school, LGBTQ+, queer, sexuality

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how do you write keywords in a research paper

Research Voyage

Research Tips and Infromation

Top 10 Rules to Identify Keywords for your Research Paper

keywords in research paper

In today’s rapidly expanding digital age, researchers face the challenge of making their valuable contributions stand out amidst a vast sea of information. The visibility and discoverability of research papers play a crucial role in the dissemination of knowledge and the impact of scholarly work. To address this challenge, incorporating effective keywords becomes a vital strategy for researchers seeking to enhance their paper’s reach and influence.

Keywords serve as concise phrases or words that encapsulate the essence of a research paper, providing a quick snapshot of its content. When well-chosen and thoughtfully integrated into the paper, keywords can significantly increase citations, attract more readers, and elevate the visibility of the research in search engine results. By making a paper easily searchable, keywords enable fellow researchers to find and access relevant studies, fostering collaboration and further advancing scientific progress.

While researchers may not have direct control over the search ranking algorithms employed by platforms such as Google, they hold a powerful tool in their hands: the keyword listing section within their research papers. This section grants researchers the privilege to influence their paper’s ranking on search engines, giving them the opportunity to propel their work to the forefront of scholarly exploration.

Moreover, keywords function as invaluable filters in the vast ocean of available resources. In databases and search engines, keywords serve as crucial parameters that retrieve results based on their relevance to the search query. The more relevant keywords a paper contains, the higher its likelihood of appearing prominently in search results, enabling it to captivate the attention of readers seeking information on a specific topic.

The importance of selecting appropriate keywords cannot be overstated. These carefully chosen terms not only define the domain, subdomain, and research objective of the paper but also facilitate indexing, categorization, and targeted display of the article to researchers seeking related content. By including the right keywords, researchers can ensure their work is more easily searched, cited, and incorporated into the ongoing scholarly dialogue.

Introduction

Tips for writing keywords  for a research paper, general insights regarding keywords in research papers, which words can not be keywords in my research paper, keyword identification: an example from a research paper, the role of conference /journal selection in citations and scholarly impact, can i add a keyword synonym for the actual keyword, in what order i should arrange keywords alphabetically or in order of importance, can i add acronyms as keywords, where do you put keywords in a research paper, can i take insights from the keywords listed in research papers of my reference, when is the best stage in the research paper writing process to identify and finalize the keywords.

Keywords are phrases or words that sum up your research paper. They increase the number of citations you receive and make your paper searchable (and easily discoverable!). Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate domain and methodology related  keywords of your research work to aid in the discovery of your paper.

For a researcher, making his/her research paper available to the research community, on the Google search engine within first few search page results is a challenging task.  Appearance of an artice in search results will push the  research scholars to download , refer and cite articles in their work. This will help the researcher to increase his citation counts and improve his research profile to a greater extent.

Though the the researcher do not have ditrect control over the journal serach ranking on the google search engine in which he/she  has published paper, still he/she can make his article  rank higher with one  simple option.  Keyword listing is one such  section within research paper, where the researcher has privilage to push the  ranking of the paper on google search engine.

Keywords, therefore, are vital for filtering the abundant amount of resources available. Keywords are one of the parameters used for searching an article in a database or a search engine, that in turn retrieves a bunch of results ranked according to relevancy.

The appearance of the document higher in the order is directly proportional to the number of relevant keywords used in that document. Then how to make our research paper rank higher in the search results and not be lost in the ocean of the documents stored on the net? The answer is of course choosing the right and relevant keywords.

The purpose of keywords in a research article is to help other researchers find your paper when they are conducting a search on the topic. Picking the apt keywords is crucial because these are used for indexing purposes. Well-picked keywords help your article to be more easily searched and cited.

In a research article, abstracts are usually followed by a list of keywords selected by the author. Keywords define the domain, subdomain, topic, research objective, etc. that are covered by the article. Most search engines, citation indexing databases, or journal websites refer keywords to decide where and when to display your article to the researchers who are searching for articles related to your article.

Keywords make your article easily searchable and ensure that your article gets more citations.  Hence it is essential to include and select relevant keywords and filter out the large body of unwanted material.

Let us take an example to see why keywords are useful. A paper titled ” New approaches in Leaf Image processing using Machine Learning Techniques”   describes, how some  Machine Learning Algorithms will help in identifying the leaf spot diseases like Bacterial Blight at the earlier stage using  Machine learning based Image Processing techniques. 

Suitable keywords for such a paper can  include the following 

  • Support Vector Machine, Reinforcement Learning ( From Machine Learning concepts)
  • Image Segmentation, Image Clustering (From Image Processing concept)
  • Leaf Spot disease names Bacterial Blight, Anthracnose etc. ( From Domain concept)  

Search for any of these keywords will lead a  research scholar to this paper.

Here are a few tips that will help you create relevant and effective keywords for your research paper:

Start thinking about the terms you use to search for research papers related to your topic. Possibly these are the terms used by other researchers for searching the topic of your interest. These terms can be ideal keywords for your research paper.

Most of the time it is assumed that a keyword means a single word. However, as per the research, search engine users are becoming more specific and they have understood that a single keyword is probably going to be too broad of a search to return the articles they’re looking for.

A good example is what happens when you do a search for the keyword “ security”, y ou may be in need of articles written on network security for cloud computing but doing a quick search on Google with the keyword security gives you results as varied as articles on security article in Wikipedia, Security of nation, the Social Security number,  security jobs in your local area or a recently released movie with title “security”.

Using the keyword phrase “network security for cloud computing”, returns a couple of research articles about network security for cloud computing. Keywords should ideally be phrases of 2-3 words. Ideally can give single-word keywords but it may lead to many false matches. Note that actually, keywords are not simply a set of words instead they are phrases.

Examples: Soft Computing for Leaf Image Analysis, Support Vector Machine for Fruit quality Identification, Neural Network for Leaf Image Extraction

Identify the generally used alternate terms for the words written in your title. That is, include significant abbreviations, acronyms, and other short-form or substitute names for your paper. But care should be taken while using acronyms that may have other meanings. WWW would be an abbreviation since most hits would relate to the Internet. Similarly, other abbreviations like   i) SVM for Support Vector Machine, ii) NN for Neural Network and iii) Soft Computing for Neural Network, Fuzzy Logic and Genetic Algorithm  can be used

Do not use words or phrases from the title as keywords. Keywords should contain a list of words that supplement your title’s content. This is because most of the search engines and journal databases use Research Title for indexing purposes.

TITLE:   “Leaf Image Analysis for Pathological Issues Using  Soft Computing Techniques”

KEYWORDS : Unsupervised   Neural Networks, Leaf Spot disease Identification,  Disease spot extraction using Image Processing.

Keywords should contain words and phrases that suggest what the topic is about. Also include words and phrases that are closely related to your topic. (For example, if the paper is about  Image Processing for Leaf Spot Identification and Disease Classification use words like  Plant Pathology, Bacterial Blight in pomegranate, Leaf Disease spot Identification etc .

If your research revolves around a key method or technique, make sure the term for it is located in your keyword. Example: If the method uses Multi-Spectral Camera for image capturing and processing then Keywords must contain terms like Multi-Spectral Image Analysis.

If the paper focuses on a particular region use that as a keyword. If the paper is on Voice Analysis of Southern Indian Community for Age Identification then  Keyword can be “ Southern Indian Community ”  If the paper is P omegranate Leaf Spot Identification using a Support Vector Machine and if the pomegranate considered are from the Indian sub-continent then the keyword can be ” Pomegranate plant of the Indian subcontinent “.

If your article is about developing applications, check whether potential applications, issues or phenomena can serve as keywords ( Smart City Construction, Plant Pathology,  Medical Image Processing for Skin Cancer, Sensor for Tsunami ).

The most important experimental techniques used in your article are worth considering as keywords.  For example, Stereo Vision for Robot,  X-ray analysis for pomegranate fruit etc .

Some sites provide keyword generators or keyword planners to help you think of other terms you could include.

Number of keywords: Research papers typically include a list of 3-6 keywords, although some papers may have more or fewer. The specific number of keywords can vary based on the guidelines provided by the target journal or conference.

Keyword density: There is no set rule for keyword density in research papers. The focus should be on selecting relevant and accurate keywords rather than trying to achieve a specific density. However, it’s important to include the main concepts and themes of your research in the keywords to enhance discoverability.

Keyword variations: Including variations of keywords, such as synonyms or related terms, can improve the visibility and searchability of your research paper. This allows readers using different terminology to find your paper when searching for related topics.

Keyword importance: While keywords are essential for search engine optimization and indexing purposes, their impact on the ranking and visibility of research papers can vary across different platforms and databases. Factors such as the relevance of the content, citation count, and journal reputation can also influence the visibility of a research paper.

Keyword trends: Research fields and disciplines may have specific keywords or terms that gain prominence or decline over time due to emerging trends, advancements, or changes in terminology. Staying updated with the latest literature and research in your field can help you identify and incorporate relevant keywords.

Common words: Avoid using generic and commonly used words that do not add specific value to your research topic. For example, if your research paper is about the effects of climate change on coral reefs, using words like “the,” “and,” “of,” “in,” etc., as keywords would not provide any meaningful information specific to your study.

Very broad terms: Keywords should ideally be more specific and focused to represent the main ideas or concepts of your research. For instance, if your research paper is about the impact of social media on mental health in adolescents, using the keyword “media” would be too broad and may lead to a large number of unrelated search results. Instead, you could use keywords like “social media,” “mental health,” “adolescents,” etc., to make the search more targeted.

Highly technical terms: While research papers often include technical terminology, using overly specialized or obscure terms as keywords may limit the discoverability of your paper. For example, if your research paper is about a new cancer treatment method, using a complex and specific scientific term that only experts in the field would understand might make it difficult for other researchers or readers to find your paper. It would be better to use more accessible keywords that convey the main concept, such as “cancer treatment,” “novel therapy,” or “medical innovation.”

Personal pronouns: Avoid using personal pronouns like “I,” “we,” “you,” etc., as keywords. Keywords should reflect the general scope and content of your research rather than emphasizing the author’s perspective. For instance, if your research paper is about renewable energy sources, using a keyword like “my study” would be inappropriate. Instead, opt for keywords like “renewable energy,” “solar power,” “wind turbines,” etc.

Single words without context: Selecting keywords that consist of a single word without any context or modifiers may not effectively convey the essence of your research. For example, if your research paper is about the impact of exercise on cardiovascular health, using a keyword like “exercise” on its own would be too vague. Instead, you could use keywords like “exercise benefits,” “cardiovascular health,” “physical activity effects,” etc., to provide more specific and meaningful information about your study.

Remember that the goal of choosing keywords is to accurately represent your research and increase its discoverability, so it’s important to be strategic in selecting terms that best capture the main themes and concepts of your paper.

Let me show you an example of a Research Paper with a Title, Abstract and set of possible Keywords:

Title :  Leaf Disease Feature Identification and Extraction Using Deep Neural Network Abstract Extraction of meaningful leaf disease features by applying image processing techniques is a problem that has been studied by the image processing community for decades.  Image processing research for leaf spot disease identification has matured significantly throughout the years, and many advances in image processing techniques continue to be made, allowing new techniques to be applied to new and more demanding pathological problems. In this paper, a method for the detection and classification of leaf spot diseases affecting Pomegranate crops is developed using  Deep learning Neural networks. Throughout, we have presented tables and charts to compare the performance of the proposed method with state-of-the-art techniques. Experimental results show that Deep Neural Networks handle uncertainty effectively and they can be trained with limited data sets. The paper has also made suggestions for future research directions. Keywords : Image Processing for plant pathology, diseased leaf spot extraction,  leaf spot disease classification, segmentation of leaf spot disease, Machine learning for Leaf disease identification, Pomegranate leaf disease identification, Pomegranate leaf disease classification.

Please note that, sheer identification of keywords may not push your citation score. Selecting a reputable journal and avoiding predatory conferences and journals is crucial for maximizing the visibility and impact of your research article. By publishing in a respected journal, you increase the likelihood of attracting a broader and more qualified readership, thus increasing the chances of your article being cited by other researchers. Choosing the right journal involves considering factors such as the journal’s scope, target audience, impact factor, indexing in reputable databases, peer-review process, and overall reputation in the field. Additionally, it is important to stay vigilant and avoid predatory conferences and journals that may engage in unethical practices or lack rigorous peer-review processes.

These predatory outlets may hinder the credibility and recognition of your work. By carefully selecting a reputable journal, you position your research for greater exposure, credibility, and citation potential.

Visit my articles on ” How to identify and avoid predatory conferences and journals ” and “ Identifying Reputable journals for your research paper “. These articles will help you in getting your articles cited by many authors.

In the age of information overload, where research papers are easily lost in the vast sea of digital content, the strategic use of keywords emerges as a powerful tool for researchers. By carefully selecting and incorporating relevant keywords, researchers can enhance the visibility, discoverability, and impact of their scholarly work.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can certainly add keyword synonyms for the actual keywords in your research paper. Including synonyms can enhance the discoverability of your paper and improve its visibility in search engines and databases. When adding keyword synonyms, it’s advisable to place them within parentheses next to the corresponding actual keyword. Here’s an example: Keywords: apple (fruit), banana (fruit), cherry (fruit)

The order in which you arrange the keywords in your research paper depends on the specific guidelines provided by the journal or conference you are submitting to. Some publishers may require keywords to be listed in alphabetical order, while others may suggest organizing them based on their importance or relevance to the study. Therefore, it’s important to consult the submission guidelines or instructions provided by the target publication. If the guidelines don’t specify a preferred order, you have the flexibility to choose between alphabetical order and order of importance. Alphabetical order is a common and straightforward approach that allows for easy reference and searchability. However, if you believe that emphasizing the importance or relevance of certain keywords is more appropriate for your research, you can arrange them in order of importance. In such cases, you should provide a clear rationale for the chosen order of keywords, especially if it deviates from the standard alphabetical arrangement.

Yes, you can add acronyms as keywords in your research paper. Including acronyms as keywords can be useful, especially if they are commonly used or widely recognized in your field of study. However, it’s important to provide the full expansion or definition of the acronym when it is first mentioned in the paper or in the list of keywords. For example: Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP) In this example, the acronyms “AI,” “ML,” and “NLP” are included as keywords. However, the full expansion of each acronym is provided within parentheses next to the respective acronym. This ensures that readers who may not be familiar with the acronyms can understand their meaning and context.

In a research paper, keywords are typically included after the abstract section. Abstract: Begin by including a section labelled “Keywords” or “Key Terms” immediately after the abstract. List the keywords in alphabetical order, separated by commas or semicolons.

Examining top-quality research papers in your area of work and analyzing the keywords they have listed can be a valuable approach to generate insights and identify relevant keywords for your own research paper. It can provide you with a better understanding of the terminology and keywords commonly used within your field. This method can help ensure that your paper aligns with established literature and facilitates discoverability among researchers in your domain. By reviewing keywords from well-regarded papers, you can gain insights into the specific terms and phrases that are currently prominent and influential in your field. This approach also allows you to observe how other researchers describe similar concepts, methodologies, or research areas. You can adapt and refine those keywords to suit your own study while maintaining relevance to the broader academic community. However, it’s important to note that while this method can be helpful, it should not be the sole approach for selecting keywords. It should be combined with other strategies, such as brainstorming related terms, considering your target audience, and evaluating keyword relevance. The goal is to create a comprehensive list of keywords that accurately represents your research and maximizes the chances of your paper being discovered by the intended audience.

The stage at which keywords are identified in the research paper writing process can vary. Ideally, you should start considering and identifying potential keywords during the early stages of your research project. Here’s a breakdown of the typical timeline for identifying keywords: Research planning and topic selection: When you are in the initial stages of planning your research and selecting a topic, start thinking about the main concepts and themes that define your study. These initial ideas can serve as a foundation for generating keywords later on. Literature review: As you conduct your literature review, pay attention to the keywords and terms used in existing research papers that are relevant to your topic. Note down any keywords that are commonly used and appear to be influential in your field. This process will help you gain insights into the terminology and vocabulary used by other researchers. Keyword brainstorming: Once you have a clear understanding of your research topic and have familiarized yourself with the existing literature, engage in a keyword brainstorming session. Generate a list of related terms, synonyms, phrases, and variations associated with your research area. This step will help you expand your keyword options. Refinement and finalization: After brainstorming, evaluate and refine your list of potential keywords. Consider the relevance, specificity, and popularity of each keyword. Narrow down your selection to a concise set of keywords (usually 3-6) that accurately represent your research. Incorporation into the paper: Include the finalized keywords in your research paper after the abstract and before the main body, as discussed earlier. Ensure that they are listed in a clear and easily readable format. By identifying keywords early in the research paper writing process, you can ensure that your research is appropriately categorized, discoverable, and aligned with the relevant literature in your field.

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How to Write a Research Paper

  • Get Started
  • Select a Topic
  • Develop a Research Question
  • Identify Keywords
  • Find Background Information
  • Refine a Topic
  • Books and Ebooks
  • Search Strategies
  • Evaluate Sources
  • Primary vs. Secondary
  • Types of Periodicals
  • Outline the Paper
  • Construct an Annotated Bibliography
  • Complete a Literature Review
  • Citation Styles
  • Paraphrasing

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Having trouble identifying #keywords based on your #topic?

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Identifying Keywords

Before searching for information, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. The keywords you use have an impact on the results of your research. 

Keywords and phrases can easily be found by scanning . . .

  • your initial research questions
  • encyclopedia and other articles used when conducting background research
  • bibliographies found at the end of books and articles

If you are still struggling, try these suggestions:

  • Use a thesaurus to identify synonyms
  • Find pictures related to your topic, then describe the picture
  • Brainstorm keywords with a librarian, your instructor, or a friend

Combining Keywords

When researching, we are like detectives trying to combine the right terms in the right place to find the information we need. This information will help you combine search terms to find relevant sources.

Broad Search

Search for information using the single most important term related to your topic. Use this type of search when looking for basic background information.

Specific Search

Search for information by combining key concepts using the words you have brainstormed. Each concept/word should be separated by the word  "AND" . Use this kind of search when looking for specific evidence related to your claim or thesis.

Getting Too Many Irrelevant Results?

Add more search terms.

Getting Too Few Relevant Results?

Change or remove some search terms.

  • << Previous: Develop a Research Question
  • Next: Find Background Information >>
  • Last Updated: Oct 17, 2023 10:13 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.sctech.edu/researchprocess

How to Choose and Use Keywords in Research Papers

How to choose and use keywords in research papers

Academic writing is vital for PhD student and researchers, and identifying appropriate keywords in research papers is a crucial part of the process. However, not many academics understand the importance of keywords in research papers and why you need to get this right. When used well, keywords in scientific papers ensure more accurate indexing and allow search engines to find your work from the large amounts of information available online.

With more research articles and journals available to researchers, it is important to choose and use keywords in research papers effectively to maximize the reach and impact of your research article by making it easier to discover, access, and reference by a diverse audience. In this article, we’ll discuss how to choose and effectively use keywords in research papers to improve your visibility and help you reach your intended audience.

how do you write keywords in a research paper

How to choose keywords in research papers

Choosing the right keywords in research papers is critical because the quality of online search results is directly related to the quality of the keywords used. A well-chosen keyword can help your paper get discovered, while a poorly chosen keyword can lead to your paper being overlooked. Here are some simple steps to choose the right keywords for your research paper. 1

Understand the research question or topic

Know the central theme of your research paper and write down keywords that are most relevant and will capture the essence of your work. Examining your research question or topic closely can also help you identify keywords in research papers that are frequently used in your field of study.

Check standard author guidelines

Most reputed journals mention specific instructions regarding the number and length of keywords in research papers. Be sure to check the author guidelines carefully as some even suggest that authors choose from a set of predetermined keywords for scientific papers covering specific research topics.

Create a pool of relevant keywords

When shortlisting keywords in research papers, consider your target audience and keep in mind what they typically use to search for articles on topics like yours. A good idea would be to use phrases or word clusters that are used repeatedly in your manuscript as readers will also likely be using these to search online. Add synonyms and different phrases that describe your concept (avoid newly coined terms or unusual abbreviations) to increase the chances of your research being discovered. You can also ask your supervisor or consult experts in your field to identify the most relevant keywords in research paper.

Pick specific, 2-4-word phrases as keywords

Single words often lead to false matches or are misconstrued so it’s advised to choose keywords that are phrases with 2-4 words, and not longer. It’s important also to be specific when choosing keywords in research papers to ensure your work stands out. For example, if the paper is about leg pain, use alternative and more specific phrases like leg cramps, spasms in the leg, or muscular leg pain to help your work stand out from generalized online searches on pain.

Use optimized keywords in research papers

Maximize your potential visibility by using optimized keywords in research papers. For example, authors writing on medical and health-related topics can find help with keywords and terms by looking through the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus. The MeSH thesaurus also includes effective and popular keywords and terms that are used in PubMed and other databases. 2 Similarly, online search engines also index scholarly literature across an array of disciplines.

How to include keywords in research papers

Once you have identified the most relevant keywords for your scientific papers, the next step is to include them effectively. Optimizing your academic writing with keywords is a straightforward process that requires some attention to detail. Here are some tips on how to include keywords in research paper and what to avoid.

Include keywords in title and abstract

The title and abstract are the first sections people read when searching for scholarly articles and understanding the relevance of your work. Include keywords in research paper titles and add the most important keywords in abstract of your research paper. This will help search engines and academic databases quickly identify the central theme of your research paper and categorize your work correctly. However, note that some journals do not advise using keywords that overlap with words used in your research paper title. 2

Add keywords across all sections

Try to use keywords strategically in all sections of your research paper, including the introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. However, while adding keywords in research papers, ensure they read naturally and are in context to maintain the quality of your academic writing. Subheads are another good way to use keywords as they allow readers to quickly scan your paper. Creating descriptive subheadings that include the main keywords in research papers work well to guide readers smoothly through your article.

Use variations of main keywords

Apart from the list of shortlisted keywords for your topic, make sure you also use variations of your keywords in research papers to ensure it is easily found by readers. Using synonyms and related terms that describe the same concept can help increase the visibility of your paper in online searches while ensuring the main keywords in scientific papers don’t seem spammy and make your writing seem repetitive.

Refer to highly cited works on similar topics

Check relevant journal databases or conduct a quick online search to see how keywords have been used in previously published papers in your field. If you can find the right papers for the keywords you are searching for, you know that it has used keywords effectively. This may give you an idea not only on how and where to use keywords in research papers but may also help you formulate or add to your chosen keywords.

Avoid irrelevant keywords and overstuffing

Finally, it is important to use only relevant keywords in research papers as irrelevant keywords can mislead readers and result in your paper being excluded from relevant searches. Also make sure you are not using too many keywords in research papers. Force-fitting keywords could make your writing seem cluttered and confusing; your work may also be penalized for keyword stuffing by online search engines. It’s best to stick to a few specific, relevant keywords that accurately reflect your research and use them strategically to ensure your article is coherent and engaging for readers.

how do you write keywords in a research paper

Identifying effective keywords for research papers must be a priority for researchers and not an afterthought in their manuscript writing and publishing journey. The use of right keywords not only offers readers easier access to your paper through online searches, but it also significantly increases the frequency of citations. Therefore, be sure to choose and use keywords in your research paper with care. All the best!

Keywords are specific terms or phrases that encapsulate the essence of a research paper’s content. They represent the main ideas, concepts, and themes addressed in the paper. These terms aid in categorization, indexing, and searching for relevant articles in academic databases. Typically located in the abstract or article header, keywords provide a quick overview of the paper’s focus, helping researchers and readers gauge its relevance to their interests.

Identifying keywords is vital for effective research because it enhances discoverability. Researchers use keywords to navigate vast databases efficiently, ensuring they find relevant papers on their topic. Precise keywords ensure that articles align closely with a researcher’s needs, saving time and effort. Well-chosen keywords improve a paper’s visibility, increasing its chances of being found and cited. Accurate keyword selection improves the dissemination of knowledge and facilitates collaboration among scholars by facilitating access to related works.

Keywords serve several key purposes in research papers. Firstly, they aid in information retrieval. By including relevant terms, researchers make their work easily discoverable by peers. Secondly, keywords enhance the paper’s visibility, increasing its chances of being cited and referenced. Thirdly, keywords establish a common language for researchers within a particular field, facilitating communication. Lastly, they offer a concise snapshot of the paper’s core themes, assisting readers in quickly determining the paper’s applicability to their own work or interests.

References:

  • George, E. Identifying keywords for scientific papers: A simple 5-step guide. Researcher.Life Blog. Available online at https://researcher.life/blog/article/identifying-keywords-for-scientific-papers-a-simple-5-step-guide/
  • Herron, C. How to Choose the Best Keywords for Your Research Manuscript. Redwood Ink. Available online at https://redwoodink.com/resources/how-to-choose-the-best-keywords-for-your-research-manuscript

Related Reads:

  • 3 Easy Ways for Researchers to Improve Their Academic Vocabulary
  • Scientific Writing Style Guides Explained
  • Research Paper Writing: A 15-Point Academic Writing Checklist

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How to Choose Keywords for a Research Paper

how do you write keywords in a research paper

With the ever-increasing volume of information available digitally, finding relevant sources has become quite the challenge! To hunt down the articles we want, we use search engines and type in keywords that narrow down results.

Keywords, therefore, are essential for filtering the overwhelming amount of resources available. When we use these parameters in a database or a search engine, we receive a list of results ranked according to relevancy. The more the content of an article reflects the keywords used, the higher it will appear on the results page.

So, what are the best research paper keywords?

How, then, can we make sure that our published articles and academic papers rank higher on search results and not drown in the sea of publications? The answer, of course, is choosing the best keywords! However, there are some pitfalls with using keywords, so the following is a quick guide on how to carefully choose keywords for a research paper and what mistakes to avoid.

Follow any instructions your target journal provides regarding keywords

The journal rules of the specific publication trump all others! For example, most clinical papers use terms from the US National Library of Medicine’s Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) . Many journals request five to eight terms. However, some restrict the nature of the words that can be used. For instance, some journals want single words instead of phrases. Again, double-check journal requirements!

Think about what terms you would use to search for papers related to your topic

Chances are the phrases you choose are going to be similar to what other researchers may use when searching for literature.

Note that in rule #2 we used the term “phrases” instead of “words.” In truth, “keywords” is a misnomer. These days, we search databases using phrases or complete sentences. This is because single-term searches yield a broader list of results than desired. For example, let’s imagine that I want to know the specifics of Jupiter’s air composition. If I type in “Jupiter,” I’ll receive a list containing any document related to Jupiter, but most of them might not be relevant. Therefore,  choose keyword phrases that comprise two to four words .

Avoid using terms already present in your research paper’s title

This is particularly true if your journal says not to include them . Why? Your research paper title is searchable and will be weighted (marked to have greater weight by a programming code), so keywords should contain a list of words that  supplement  your title’s content. Even if your journal doesn’t restrict title word use in keywords, we recommend using this valuable real estate for alternate terms (see rule #7).

Keywords should indicate the general subject matter; however,  they should not be too broad . For instance, if you are writing a paper on a newly-discovered epigenetic regulator, you might not want to use general keywords such as “cell biology” or “genetics.” These terms do little to reflect the specificity with which your potential readers search for source materials. Instead, focus on key concepts covered in your abstract.

If your research involves a key method or technique, put the term either in your title or your keywords

On that note, be careful with spelling/capitalization. While search engines, by default, ignore capitalization rules, hyphenation could be an issue.  Make sure you are using the officially recognized written form of each key term . Failure to do so might result in less hits for your paper. Google Scholar can help with finding the official, correct, and/or mostly used versions of field-specific terms.

Think of generally used alternate terms to the ones found in your title

That is, include significant abbreviations, acronyms, and other short-form or substitute names for your topic. Be careful, however, of using acronyms that could have other meanings. For example, HIV would be a safe abbreviation since most hits would relate to the disease. The term, ARC, on the other hand, has significance in many fields: computer programming, engineering, math, and biology, just to name a few. Therefore, if we mean the ARC file format, then we should use the phrase, “ARC file format,” as a keyword.

Test your keywords before submitting your paper

When you enter your keywords into various journal and academic databases like Google Scholar, do the results include papers similar to your topic? If not, revise the terms until they do.

Use keyword generators with caution

Some sites such as the one offered by the University of Texas provide keyword generators or keyword planners to help you think of other terms you could include. However, make sure that those words actually relate to your paper’s topic. You can double-check relevancy by using the terms as explained in rule #8.

We hope these quick tips help you choose the best research paper and abstract keywords. Remember, the point of these terms is to help your paper gain visibility among your target audience. So, make sure that your search terms are ones that your desired readers would use!

Wordvice Resources

If you need more general advice on writing the abstract or the Introduction, Results, Methods, and Discussion sections of your manuscript, or if you want to know how to impress the editor of your target journal with a convincing cover letter, then head over to the Wordvice academic resources pages, where you’ll find hundreds of articles on how research paper writing tips and techniques.

And before submission, don’t forget to receive professional proofreading and English editing services , including manuscript editing services , from Wordvice academic experts.

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How To Create Perfect Keywords In Research Papers

Posted by Rene Tetzner | Apr 6, 2021 | How To Get Published | 0 |

How To Create Perfect Keywords In Research Papers

How To Create Perfect Keywords In Research Papers Although an extremely small part of an academic or scientific paper, keywords pack a very large punch in today’s world of online searches and digital publication. With many journal articles available worldwide almost immediately via the internet, it might even be argued that a paper’s keywords have become more important than its title. In one sense, this may be true: it is certainly easier to include in the keywords the terms you think readers are likely to use when searching for material on the topics covered in your paper because that is precisely why the keywords are created, and there is no need to compromise by joining them syntactically into the logical sense expected in a title. Keywords are simply listed, usually in alphabetical order immediately after a paper’s abstract, with the individual terms separated by commas or semicolons and often bearing initial capitals. Between three and ten keywords are normally required (with three to eight being most common), but each keyword can usually contain more than one word, although unnecessary connective words (such as ‘and,’ ‘or,’ ‘of’ and ‘between’) should be avoided as much as possible. The journal to which you plan to submit an article may have specific formatting requirements for keywords, so do check the guidelines carefully for any relevant instructions.

how do you write keywords in a research paper

The keywords you choose should first and foremost be terms that represent the central concepts in your article, but they should also be terms that potential readers seeking information of the kind contained in your paper are most likely to enter into search engines. As a general rule, nonstandard abbreviations should not be used as keywords, especially if it is possible to use the full terms, which tend to be clearer for readers. Acronyms and initialisms are usually acceptable, especially if the abbreviated versions are more common or better known than the full terms (as is the case, for instance, with ‘AIDS,’ ‘NASA,’ ‘CD’ and ‘IQ’). In fact, abbreviations of any kind may be preferred in your keywords if it is more likely that they rather than their full versions will be used by readers researching your topic, but do check journal guidelines to be sure they are appropriate. Your keywords should also reflect the technical and/or theoretical language currently used within your discipline or field of study, so specialised terminology may be appropriate for some of your keywords, but highly specialised language should only be used in keywords if it is probable that it will also be used by potential readers as they search for material associated with your topic.

Remember that by choosing appropriate keywords and using them effectively in other searchable parts of your paper as well (such as the title and abstract), you empower your article, increasing its chances of being read and cited. At the same time, you help increase the number of readers and the ratings of the journal that has published your paper, which makes for a win-win situation all around.

how do you write keywords in a research paper

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How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide: 1c. Identify Keywords

  • Get Started
  • 1a. Select a Topic
  • 1b. Develop Research Questions
  • 1c. Identify Keywords
  • 1d. Find Background Information
  • 1e. Refine a Topic
  • 2a. Search Strategies
  • 2d. Articles
  • 2e. Videos & Images
  • 2f. Databases
  • 2g. Websites
  • 2h. Grey Literature
  • 2i. Open Access Materials
  • 3a. Evaluate Sources
  • 3b. Primary vs. Secondary
  • 3c. Types of Periodicals
  • 4a. Take Notes
  • 4b. Outline the Paper
  • 4c. Incorporate Source Material
  • 5a. Avoid Plagiarism
  • 5b. Zotero & MyBib
  • 5c. MLA Formatting
  • 5d. MLA Citation Examples
  • 5e. APA Formatting
  • 5f. APA Citation Examples
  • 5g. Annotated Bibliographies

Identifying Keywords

The keywords you use can have a profound impact on the results of your research. Using the “right” words will speed up the research process, while the “wrong” words can bring to it to a halt.

Before you can begin searching for information, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. Key terminology can be easily be found by scanning:

  • Your research questions
  • Bibliographies found at the end of books and articles

If you are still struggling:

  • Use a thesaurus to identify synonyms.
  • Find pictures related to your topic, then describe them.
  • Brainstorm keywords with a librarian, your instructor, or a friend.

Tracking Keywords

Keep it by your side when you start your research. 

  • Keyword Brainstorming Chart

Struggling to identify # keywords based on your #topic ?

Try this idea... which words would you # hashtag if it was a # social network feed ?

  • << Previous: 1b. Develop Research Questions
  • Next: 1d. Find Background Information >>
  • Last Updated: Feb 21, 2024 11:01 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.elmira.edu/research

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Research Tips and Tricks

  • Getting Started
  • Understanding the Assignment
  • Topic Selection Tips
  • Narrowing Your Topic Tips

Major Terms

Keywords example, tools to help, videos about keywords.

  • Developing A Search Strategy
  • Scholarly vs Popular Sources
  • What Are Primary Sources?
  • Finding Scholarly Articles
  • Finding Scholarly Books
  • Finding Primary Sources
  • Citing My Sources This link opens in a new window

When searching for resources,  DO NOT  enter the whole research question. 

Unlike a Google search, a journal article database cannot sort through all the words, and the results will be all over the place, or you will get no results.

The best method is to create a search strategy using keywords.

Begin by examining your research question to determine the major concepts or words with a specific meaning. These terms will form the basis of your search. 

When picking keywords avoid all minor words ("a," "an," or "the"), and prepositions or verb phrases ("on," "in," or "going to").

Also, use verbs (action words) and adjectives (descriptive words) sparingly.

For example, if your research question is:   

Does playing video games increase the chance that children will be violent?  

Words such as (does, the, that, chance, will, and be) don't have a specific meaning, so we can cross them out.  

Does playing video games increase the chance that children will be violent?

"Playing" is an action verb to describe what someone does with the game, and since there aren't other options, we can also cross this word off.  

Does   playing video games increase  the chance that  children  will be  violent?

While "increase" is getting at the relationship between violence and video games, if you include it, you will prejudice the results because you will be excluding results that talk about video games decreasing violence. 

Does   playing  video games increase  the chance that  children  will be  violent?

In the end, we are left with three major concepts in the sentence are:   

Video Games

Children  

Now you can develop these concepts into search terms that you can use do develop your search strategy.

A variety of words may describe your keywords, so you should brainstorm possible synonyms for them.  For example, children and youth are two different words used to describe a similar concept (human beings under the age of 18).  If you only entered the term "children" into a search of a database, then you would miss all the articles that deal with "youth."  To maximize the number of results you will get in a search, you need to include synonyms. Here is a list of possible synonyms of the keywords we identified:

If you need help generating synonyms for your keywords, try a few searches and look at the language the papers use or look at a thesaurus.

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How to Write a Research Paper | A Beginner's Guide

A research paper is a piece of academic writing that provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on in-depth independent research.

Research papers are similar to academic essays , but they are usually longer and more detailed assignments, designed to assess not only your writing skills but also your skills in scholarly research. Writing a research paper requires you to demonstrate a strong knowledge of your topic, engage with a variety of sources, and make an original contribution to the debate.

This step-by-step guide takes you through the entire writing process, from understanding your assignment to proofreading your final draft.

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Table of contents

Understand the assignment, choose a research paper topic, conduct preliminary research, develop a thesis statement, create a research paper outline, write a first draft of the research paper, write the introduction, write a compelling body of text, write the conclusion, the second draft, the revision process, research paper checklist, free lecture slides.

Completing a research paper successfully means accomplishing the specific tasks set out for you. Before you start, make sure you thoroughly understanding the assignment task sheet:

  • Read it carefully, looking for anything confusing you might need to clarify with your professor.
  • Identify the assignment goal, deadline, length specifications, formatting, and submission method.
  • Make a bulleted list of the key points, then go back and cross completed items off as you’re writing.

Carefully consider your timeframe and word limit: be realistic, and plan enough time to research, write, and edit.

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how do you write keywords in a research paper

There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, from brainstorming with pen and paper to talking it through with a fellow student or professor.

You can try free writing, which involves taking a broad topic and writing continuously for two or three minutes to identify absolutely anything relevant that could be interesting.

You can also gain inspiration from other research. The discussion or recommendations sections of research papers often include ideas for other specific topics that require further examination.

Once you have a broad subject area, narrow it down to choose a topic that interests you, m eets the criteria of your assignment, and i s possible to research. Aim for ideas that are both original and specific:

  • A paper following the chronology of World War II would not be original or specific enough.
  • A paper on the experience of Danish citizens living close to the German border during World War II would be specific and could be original enough.

Note any discussions that seem important to the topic, and try to find an issue that you can focus your paper around. Use a variety of sources , including journals, books, and reliable websites, to ensure you do not miss anything glaring.

Do not only verify the ideas you have in mind, but look for sources that contradict your point of view.

  • Is there anything people seem to overlook in the sources you research?
  • Are there any heated debates you can address?
  • Do you have a unique take on your topic?
  • Have there been some recent developments that build on the extant research?

In this stage, you might find it helpful to formulate some research questions to help guide you. To write research questions, try to finish the following sentence: “I want to know how/what/why…”

A thesis statement is a statement of your central argument — it establishes the purpose and position of your paper. If you started with a research question, the thesis statement should answer it. It should also show what evidence and reasoning you’ll use to support that answer.

The thesis statement should be concise, contentious, and coherent. That means it should briefly summarize your argument in a sentence or two, make a claim that requires further evidence or analysis, and make a coherent point that relates to every part of the paper.

You will probably revise and refine the thesis statement as you do more research, but it can serve as a guide throughout the writing process. Every paragraph should aim to support and develop this central claim.

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A research paper outline is essentially a list of the key topics, arguments, and evidence you want to include, divided into sections with headings so that you know roughly what the paper will look like before you start writing.

A structure outline can help make the writing process much more efficient, so it’s worth dedicating some time to create one.

Your first draft won’t be perfect — you can polish later on. Your priorities at this stage are as follows:

  • Maintaining forward momentum — write now, perfect later.
  • Paying attention to clear organization and logical ordering of paragraphs and sentences, which will help when you come to the second draft.
  • Expressing your ideas as clearly as possible, so you know what you were trying to say when you come back to the text.

You do not need to start by writing the introduction. Begin where it feels most natural for you — some prefer to finish the most difficult sections first, while others choose to start with the easiest part. If you created an outline, use it as a map while you work.

Do not delete large sections of text. If you begin to dislike something you have written or find it doesn’t quite fit, move it to a different document, but don’t lose it completely — you never know if it might come in useful later.

Paragraph structure

Paragraphs are the basic building blocks of research papers. Each one should focus on a single claim or idea that helps to establish the overall argument or purpose of the paper.

Example paragraph

George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language” has had an enduring impact on thought about the relationship between politics and language. This impact is particularly obvious in light of the various critical review articles that have recently referenced the essay. For example, consider Mark Falcoff’s 2009 article in The National Review Online, “The Perversion of Language; or, Orwell Revisited,” in which he analyzes several common words (“activist,” “civil-rights leader,” “diversity,” and more). Falcoff’s close analysis of the ambiguity built into political language intentionally mirrors Orwell’s own point-by-point analysis of the political language of his day. Even 63 years after its publication, Orwell’s essay is emulated by contemporary thinkers.

Citing sources

It’s also important to keep track of citations at this stage to avoid accidental plagiarism . Each time you use a source, make sure to take note of where the information came from.

You can use our free citation generators to automatically create citations and save your reference list as you go.

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The research paper introduction should address three questions: What, why, and how? After finishing the introduction, the reader should know what the paper is about, why it is worth reading, and how you’ll build your arguments.

What? Be specific about the topic of the paper, introduce the background, and define key terms or concepts.

Why? This is the most important, but also the most difficult, part of the introduction. Try to provide brief answers to the following questions: What new material or insight are you offering? What important issues does your essay help define or answer?

How? To let the reader know what to expect from the rest of the paper, the introduction should include a “map” of what will be discussed, briefly presenting the key elements of the paper in chronological order.

The major struggle faced by most writers is how to organize the information presented in the paper, which is one reason an outline is so useful. However, remember that the outline is only a guide and, when writing, you can be flexible with the order in which the information and arguments are presented.

One way to stay on track is to use your thesis statement and topic sentences . Check:

  • topic sentences against the thesis statement;
  • topic sentences against each other, for similarities and logical ordering;
  • and each sentence against the topic sentence of that paragraph.

Be aware of paragraphs that seem to cover the same things. If two paragraphs discuss something similar, they must approach that topic in different ways. Aim to create smooth transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and sections.

The research paper conclusion is designed to help your reader out of the paper’s argument, giving them a sense of finality.

Trace the course of the paper, emphasizing how it all comes together to prove your thesis statement. Give the paper a sense of finality by making sure the reader understands how you’ve settled the issues raised in the introduction.

You might also discuss the more general consequences of the argument, outline what the paper offers to future students of the topic, and suggest any questions the paper’s argument raises but cannot or does not try to answer.

You should not :

  • Offer new arguments or essential information
  • Take up any more space than necessary
  • Begin with stock phrases that signal you are ending the paper (e.g. “In conclusion”)

There are four main considerations when it comes to the second draft.

  • Check how your vision of the paper lines up with the first draft and, more importantly, that your paper still answers the assignment.
  • Identify any assumptions that might require (more substantial) justification, keeping your reader’s perspective foremost in mind. Remove these points if you cannot substantiate them further.
  • Be open to rearranging your ideas. Check whether any sections feel out of place and whether your ideas could be better organized.
  • If you find that old ideas do not fit as well as you anticipated, you should cut them out or condense them. You might also find that new and well-suited ideas occurred to you during the writing of the first draft — now is the time to make them part of the paper.

The goal during the revision and proofreading process is to ensure you have completed all the necessary tasks and that the paper is as well-articulated as possible. You can speed up the proofreading process by using the AI proofreader .

Global concerns

  • Confirm that your paper completes every task specified in your assignment sheet.
  • Check for logical organization and flow of paragraphs.
  • Check paragraphs against the introduction and thesis statement.

Fine-grained details

Check the content of each paragraph, making sure that:

  • each sentence helps support the topic sentence.
  • no unnecessary or irrelevant information is present.
  • all technical terms your audience might not know are identified.

Next, think about sentence structure , grammatical errors, and formatting . Check that you have correctly used transition words and phrases to show the connections between your ideas. Look for typos, cut unnecessary words, and check for consistency in aspects such as heading formatting and spellings .

Finally, you need to make sure your paper is correctly formatted according to the rules of the citation style you are using. For example, you might need to include an MLA heading  or create an APA title page .

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Checklist: Research paper

I have followed all instructions in the assignment sheet.

My introduction presents my topic in an engaging way and provides necessary background information.

My introduction presents a clear, focused research problem and/or thesis statement .

My paper is logically organized using paragraphs and (if relevant) section headings .

Each paragraph is clearly focused on one central idea, expressed in a clear topic sentence .

Each paragraph is relevant to my research problem or thesis statement.

I have used appropriate transitions  to clarify the connections between sections, paragraphs, and sentences.

My conclusion provides a concise answer to the research question or emphasizes how the thesis has been supported.

My conclusion shows how my research has contributed to knowledge or understanding of my topic.

My conclusion does not present any new points or information essential to my argument.

I have provided an in-text citation every time I refer to ideas or information from a source.

I have included a reference list at the end of my paper, consistently formatted according to a specific citation style .

I have thoroughly revised my paper and addressed any feedback from my professor or supervisor.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (page numbers, headers, spacing, etc.).

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Let’s say this straightaway: keywords are the most neglected part of a manuscript . They are often hastily put together right at the end and often only to meet the submission criteria . However, this is unfortunate, because selecting keywords after some careful deliberation can bring you multiple benefits as a researcher trying to get noticed in your academic community , not least by making your paper more discoverable .

This article explains the importance of keywords and gives you some tips on how to choose the right keywords, what to avoid as keywords, and, once you have chosen the appropriate keywords, how to format them.

Importance of keywords

Well-chosen keywords bring your paper to the attention of those who are actively looking for information on the topic of your paper. For all you know, those people will not only read your paper but may even cite it . By treating keywords as a mere formality or even a chore, you are doing injustice to your paper. (Read more here about how keywords – and other elements of a paper – can help improve its discoverability: Maximise discoverability of your research through Titles, Abstracts and Keywords )

Developing keywords

A. think of synonyms for words used in the title.

Keywords used in the title are automatically indexed, so using terms found in the title as keywords is a wasted opportunity . Instead, think of synonyms which make good keywords.

For example…

If you have used a botanical name as part of the title of the paper (e.g. Zea mays or Oryza sativa ), then the corresponding common name will be a good keyword (e.g. maize or rice). If ‘renewable energy’ is part of your title, you might consider ‘sustainable energy’ as a keyword. A few more examples are ‘adrenaline’ and ‘epinephrine’, and ‘weight training’ and ‘strength training’.

b. Think of terms that expand or narrow down the scope of your paper

For instance…

If your paper is about vertebrates, consider whether ‘mammals’ or even ‘primates’ are appropriate as keywords. If ‘design of blades’ is a phrase you have used in the title, ‘wind turbines’ might work as a keyword.

c. Use ‘keyphrases’ rather than ‘keywords’

Understand that keywords do not have to be single words. In fact, single words – because they are too broad – rarely make good keywords . It is best to use two- or three-word phrases as keywords.

‘Monsoon’ is too broad: How about ‘southwest monsoon’ or ‘northeast monsoon’?  ‘Fitness’ is somewhat vague: phrases such as ‘Levels of fitness’, ‘Cardiovascular fitness’ or ‘Measuring fitness levels’ would be more effective and targeted.

d. Avoid using abbreviations as keywords

In general, abbreviations do not make good keywords, because a given abbreviation or acronym may be used for different terms depending on the domain.

For example, SDI can mean ‘strategic defence initiative’ but also stand for ‘selective dissemination of information’.

Testing your keywords

Instead of settling for the first terms that come to your mind, it is a good idea to test them out. Paste each keyword or multiple keywords into the search box of several search engines and scan the results. If most of the search results are relevant, the keywords are fine; if not, you need to revise them.

Formatting the keywords to match the journal’s style

Before you submit your manuscript, examine the style specifications of your target journal to determine how exactly the keywords are to be presented, because styles can differ across journals.

  • Journals do not even agree on whether it should be ‘keywords’ or ‘key words’ (one word or two).
  • The formatting can differ – Keywords or KEYWORDS (all capitals), bold or normal, italics or normal.
  • So too the punctuation that follows (usually a colon or space).
  • Notice the capitalisation : do all keywords start with a capital letter or is only the first keyword capitalized?
  • Lastly, check the journal’s style guide to see how the keywords are separated : with commas , semicolons , bullets or only spaces.
  • Some journals even show keywords as a list , each keyword occupying a separate line. However, you need not do that in your manuscript — you could use spaces and leave the final formatting to the journal.

Tip : For specifications about the keywords, check the Information for Authors page of your journal’s website, or simply look up published articles in the journal.

Keywords are the ‘key’ to wider and easier access to your paper; choose them with care.

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How to Find Keywords Effectively: Tools at a Glance

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Academic research was once the domain of librarians in universities. Their expertise and ability to make analytical connections among and within fields of study played a critical role in the research process . While their expertise is still useful to researchers, keyword search results have replaced some of their functionality. Researchers can now find much of what they are looking for by plugging keywords into a search engine.

Keyword search results help researchers to find articles that are relevant to their own research interest. These results also let researchers know what other scientists are working on similar projects and what journals may accept their submissions. Conversely, authors will need to select appropriate keywords or phrases (“long tail keywords” – usually 3 words) to use in their work in order to increase readership.

Keyword Research Tools

First-time authors or those who simply prefer to employ technology can choose from a variety of keyword planners and other tools that help to analyze a document and select the keywords.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

  • MeSH on Demand – automatically identifies relevant MeSH terms from text using Natural Language Processing and the National Library of Medicine’s Medical Text Indexer
  • The MeSH Browser – allows users to search directly for MeSH terms and conduct text-word searches of the Annotation and Scope Note fields of records

Google Keyword Planner

  • Finds the keywords that are most pertinent to your field of study/area of interest
  • Shows trends in keyword searches

Google Trends

  • Shows how often a particular search-term is entered relative to the total search-volume across various regions of the world, and in various languages

Keyword Tool

  • Generates long-tail keyword suggestions based on Google trends

Boolean Search

  • Method of searching rather than a tool, per se
  • Allows searchers to refine their search to specific pairings of words with the use of quotation marks and capitalization of “operators”
  • Uses logical relationships between search term

All of these tools are based upon continuously changing and improving algorithms and claim to be reliable and effective. Add the expertise of a seasoned research librarian and authors can feel secure in their keyword selection process.

How to Select Keywords

Selecting keywords for research articles is not difficult, but it does take some strategizing. The most important component of the article is the title – “The search engine assumes that the title contains all of the important words that define the topic of the piece, and thus gives higher weightage to the words appearing there.” Therefore, the words of the title represent the main concepts of the article. In addition, the title should be clearly stated.

Keyword usage in the body of the article or abstract should follow these guidelines :

  • Keywords should represent key concepts
  • They should be descriptive
  • Keywords should reflect a collective understanding of the topic
  • Limit keywords/phrases to 3-4
  • Use synonyms of keywords throughout
  • Reuse keywords and phrases throughout article or abstract

The best keywords are proper names, specific procedures or techniques, outcome areas, capitalized events and eras, titles of books or articles, and definitions. Once keywords and phrases have been determined, the author will need to incorporate them into a well-written piece. Although it is useful to repeat keywords and phrases throughout the article, the repetition should not impair the article’s readability, which is paramount.

Another element to consider, potentially before any thought has been given to keywords and phrases, is the requirements of journal(s) to which the article will be submitted. Journals often have specific policies regarding submissions, including the usage of keywords. Online manuscript submission forms will generally have an area for keywords.

Keywords

Online Visibility Impacts Citations

Another important aspect of keyword selection is its impact on citations. An article that is easy to find is more likely to be cited. Within the realm of citations and increasing online visibility, Google Scholar is a tool that allows users to search for digital or physical copies of articles. Results appear in order of the author’s ranking, the number of linked references, and their relevance to other scholarly literature. Furthermore, appearance of results are also based on ranking of the publication in which the article appears. This tool is useful when investigating an article’s position among others of similar content. Have you used the tools mentioned in this article for identifying good keywords? Do you have any suggestions for your peers? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Research Paper Keyword Generator + Tips

  • 🤩 Pros of Our Keyword Generator
  • 🗝️ What Are Keywords?
  • ️🔍 How to Choose Keywords
  • 💡 4 Best Tips for Writing Keywords

🔗 References

🤩 pros of our free research paper keyword generator.

Our tool will present you with a list of keywords and phrases from any text you paste. There are several features that make it stand out from similar instruments:

🗝️ What Are Keywords in a Research Paper?

Keywords are phrases and words that reflect a research papers’ main ideas and topics . They help search engines and readers alike to quickly understand what the work is about. Such terms and phrases also allow researchers interested in your subject to promptly find your paper, share it, and cite it. Depending on the format of your work, keywords can be placed in its metadata or the abstract .

Why Are Keywords Important?

Oftentimes, students and professionals alike don’t take the time to choose the keywords for their research papers. They might be under the impression that if the work is good enough, others will find it anyway. In reality, that is not the case.

Choosing the most appropriate keywords has the following advantages:

  • More precise search results . It ensures that your papers will be quickly found in search engines and academic registries. This way, researchers and other people interested in the topic have a better chance of coming across your work.
  • Showing the paper’s relevance . Key words and phrases get across the main subject of the paper, summarize the main ideas , and make it easier for people to determine if they may be interested in the research.
  • Quick communication with evaluators . Having keywords in your work lets your professors quickly comprehend the content and subject of your study.

🔍 How to Choose Keywords in Research Papers

This section will give you an understanding of the general rules about choosing keywords for academic works. There are several things we advise keeping in mind:

  • Check the instructions . Before adding keywords, carefully read manuals provided by your professors or scientific journals. These materials should contain the volume of allowed keywords (3–5 on average, up to 10 in rare cases) and explain whether these should be picked from a pre-selected list.
  • Choose specific words and phrases . When selecting your keywords, it is best not to use generic phrases. You should avoid abstract concepts or common words, since they can cause your paper to get lost in the search results. Instead, it is best to stay specific to the subject matter. For example, if you write about heart disease, use keys such as “ peripheral arterial disease ” or “acute coronary heart disease.”
  • Search for optimized terms . Maximize the paper’s reach by optimizing terms. Google Scholar is a great way to discover the proper terminology for research in different fields.
  • Include the methodology . Additionally, it’s essential to name the methodology used in the study. For example, regarding medicine, clinical trial types or experimental techniques are a perfect choice for papers on this subject.

Keywords Format: APA Style

APA is currently one of the most used formats for academic research papers. There are several things students should be aware of when writing works that follow its guidelines.

💡 4 Best Tips for Writing Keywords for Your Research

Finding and incorporating the right keywords in research studies takes time and effort to perfect. We’ve decided to give several tips that will help you hone your research and article-writing skills .

  • Avoid keywords that are too narrow or too broad . This is one of the trickiest things to pull off while looking for the perfect keywords. Make them excessively precise, and you will narrow your audience significantly. Make them too broad, and the article will be lost in search results.
  • Steer clear of obscure search terms . If you want the work to appear in academic directories, don’t use terms people rarely seek. For example, people rarely search for Latin animal or plant species names, so keep things closer to plain English.
  • Don’t mislead readers . Don’t use keys unrelated to your topic to get into the search results. Such things remove credibility from your writing and add unnecessary difficulties for people trying to find it.
  • Use the appropriate format . When choosing your keywords, it is best to remember several general rules. For example, you should try avoiding abbreviations where possible. Additionally, it is best to use short phrases rather than singular words.

Our research paper generator will become a valuable tool for your academic pursuits. Also, we recommend you try our effective plagiarism checker ! If you have any questions, check out our FAQ section.

❓ Research Paper Keyword Generator – FAQ

  • Consider words and phrases that expand or narrow the paper’s scope.
  • Use phrases instead of single words without context.
  • Avoid abbreviations.
  • Check the guidelines.
  • Find short phrases.
  • Use general terms.
  • Stay specific.
  • Mention the methodology.
  • How to Write a Research Paper. – Lebanon Valley College
  • Keyword Searching: Finding Articles on Your Topic: Select Keywords. – Walden University
  • Research Foundations: Choose Keywords. – Seminole State College Library
  • Guidelines for Selecting Keywords. – Kansas State University
  • A Guide to Writing an Effective Abstract / Selecting Keywords for Discovery. – Cambridge University Press & Assessment
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On this page, you will find an effective research paper keyword generator, which will make your task much more manageable. Additionally, you can use our valuable materials that will assist you in determining which words and phrases are perfect for your research.

February 21, 2024

Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

Engaging the fine motor system to produce letters by hand has positive effects on learning and memory

By Charlotte Hu

Student handwriting notes in class

FG Trade/Getty Images

Handwriting notes in class might seem like an anachronism as smartphones and other digital technology subsume every aspect of learning across schools and universities. But a steady stream of research continues to suggest that taking notes the traditional way—with pen and paper or even stylus and tablet—is still the best way to learn, especially for young children. And now scientists are finally zeroing in on why.

A recent study in Frontiers in Psychology monitored brain activity in students taking notes and found that those writing by hand had higher levels of electrical activity across a wide range of interconnected brain regions responsible for movement, vision, sensory processing and memory. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that has many experts speaking up about the importance of teaching children to handwrite words and draw pictures.

Differences in Brain Activity

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The new research, by Audrey van der Meer and Ruud van der Weel at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), builds on a foundational 2014 study . That work suggested that people taking notes by computer were typing without thinking, says van der Meer , a professor of neuropsychology at NTNU. “It’s very tempting to type down everything that the lecturer is saying,” she says. “It kind of goes in through your ears and comes out through your fingertips, but you don’t process the incoming information.” But when taking notes by hand, it’s often impossible to write everything down; students have to actively pay attention to the incoming information and process it—prioritize it, consolidate it and try to relate it to things they’ve learned before. This conscious action of building onto existing knowledge can make it easier to stay engaged and grasp new concepts .

To understand specific brain activity differences during the two note-taking approaches, the NTNU researchers tweaked the 2014 study’s basic setup. They sewed electrodes into a hairnet with 256 sensors that recorded the brain activity of 36 students as they wrote or typed 15 words from the game Pictionary that were displayed on a screen.

When students wrote the words by hand, the sensors picked up widespread connectivity across many brain regions. Typing, however, led to minimal activity, if any, in the same areas. Handwriting activated connection patterns spanning visual regions, regions that receive and process sensory information and the motor cortex. The latter handles body movement and sensorimotor integration, which helps the brain use environmental inputs to inform a person’s next action.

“When you are typing, the same simple movement of your fingers is involved in producing every letter, whereas when you’re writing by hand, you immediately feel that the bodily feeling of producing A is entirely different from producing a B,” van der Meer says. She notes that children who have learned to read and write by tapping on a digital tablet “often have difficulty distinguishing letters that look a lot like each other or that are mirror images of each other, like the b and the d.”

Reinforcing Memory and Learning Pathways

Sophia Vinci-Booher , an assistant professor of educational neuroscience at Vanderbilt University who was not involved in the new study, says its findings are exciting and consistent with past research. “You can see that in tasks that really lock the motor and sensory systems together, such as in handwriting, there’s this really clear tie between this motor action being accomplished and the visual and conceptual recognition being created,” she says. “As you’re drawing a letter or writing a word, you’re taking this perceptual understanding of something and using your motor system to create it.” That creation is then fed back into the visual system, where it’s processed again—strengthening the connection between an action and the images or words associated with it. It’s similar to imagining something and then creating it: when you materialize something from your imagination (by writing it, drawing it or building it), this reinforces the imagined concept and helps it stick in your memory.

The phenomenon of boosting memory by producing something tangible has been well studied. Previous research has found that when people are asked to write, draw or act out a word that they’re reading, they have to focus more on what they’re doing with the received information. Transferring verbal information to a different form, such as a written format, also involves activating motor programs in the brain to create a specific sequence of hand motions, explains Yadurshana Sivashankar , a cognitive neuroscience graduate student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario who studies movement and memory. But handwriting requires more of the brain’s motor programs than typing. “When you’re writing the word ‘the,’ the actual movements of the hand relate to the structures of the word to some extent,” says Sivashankar, who was not involved in the new study.

For example, participants in a 2021 study by Sivashankar memorized a list of action verbs more accurately if they performed the corresponding action than if they performed an unrelated action or none at all. “Drawing information and enacting information is helpful because you have to think about information and you have to produce something that’s meaningful,” she says. And by transforming the information, you pave and deepen these interconnections across the brain’s vast neural networks, making it “much easier to access that information.”

The Importance of Handwriting Lessons for Kids

Across many contexts, studies have shown that kids appear to learn better when they’re asked to produce letters or other visual items using their fingers and hands in a coordinated way—one that can’t be replicated by clicking a mouse or tapping buttons on a screen or keyboard. Vinci-Booher’s research has also found that the action of handwriting appears to engage different brain regions at different levels than other standard learning experiences, such as reading or observing. Her work has also shown that handwriting improves letter recognition in preschool children, and the effects of learning through writing “last longer than other learning experiences that might engage attention at a similar level,” Vinci-Booher says. Additionally, she thinks it’s possible that engaging the motor system is how children learn how to break “ mirror invariance ” (registering mirror images as identical) and begin to decipher things such as the difference between the lowercase b and p.

Vinci-Booher says the new study opens up bigger questions about the way we learn, such as how brain region connections change over time and when these connections are most important in learning. She and other experts say, however, that the new findings don’t mean technology is a disadvantage in the classroom. Laptops, smartphones and other such devices can be more efficient for writing essays or conducting research and can offer more equitable access to educational resources. Problems occur when people rely on technology too much , Sivashankar says. People are increasingly delegating thought processes to digital devices, an act called “ cognitive offloading ”—using smartphones to remember tasks, taking a photo instead of memorizing information or depending on a GPS to navigate. “It’s helpful, but we think the constant offloading means it’s less work for the brain,” Sivashankar says. “If we’re not actively using these areas, then they are going to deteriorate over time, whether it’s memory or motor skills.”

Van der Meer says some officials in Norway are inching toward implementing completely digital schools . She claims first grade teachers there have told her their incoming students barely know how to hold a pencil now—which suggests they weren’t coloring pictures or assembling puzzles in nursery school. Van der Meer says they’re missing out on opportunities that can help stimulate their growing brains.

“I think there’s a very strong case for engaging children in drawing and handwriting activities, especially in preschool and kindergarten when they’re first learning about letters,” Vinci-Booher says. “There’s something about engaging the fine motor system and production activities that really impacts learning.”

AI Writes Scientific Papers That Sound Great—but Aren’t Accurate

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F irst came the students, who wanted help with their homework and essays. Now, ChatGPT is luring scientists, who are under pressure to publish papers in reputable scientific journals.

AI is already disrupting the archaic world of scientific publishing. When Melissa Kacena, vice chair of orthopaedic surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, reviews articles submitted for publication in journals, she now knows to look out for ones that might have been written by the AI program. “I have a rule of thumb now that if I pull up 10 random references cited in the paper, and if more than one isn’t accurate, then I reject the paper,” she says.

But despite the pitfalls, there is also promise. Writing review articles, for example, is a task well suited to AI: it involves sifting through the existing research on a subject, analyzing the results, reaching a conclusion about the state of the science on the topic, and providing some new insight. ChatGPT can do all of those things well.

Kacena decided to see who is better at writing review articles: people or ChatGPT. For her study published in Current Osteoporosis Reports , she sorted nine students and the AI program into three groups and asked each group to write a review article on a different topic. For one group, she asked the students to write review articles on the topics; for another, she instructed ChatGPT to write articles on the same topics; and for the last group, she gave each of the students their own ChatGPT account and told them to work together with the AI program to write articles. That allowed her to compare articles written by people, by AI, and a combination of people and AI. She asked faculty member colleagues and the students to fact check each of the articles, and compared the three types of articles on measures like accuracy, ease of reading, and use of appropriate language.

Read More : To Make a Real Difference in Health Care, AI Will Need to Learn Like We Do

The results were eye-opening. The articles written by ChatGPT were easy to read and were even better written than the students'. But up to 70% of the cited references were inaccurate: they were either incoherently merged from several different studies or completely fictitious. The AI versions were also more likely to be plagiarized.

“ChatGPT was pretty convincing with some of the phony statements it made, to be honest,” says Kacena. “It used the proper syntax and integrated them with proper statements in a paragraph, so sometimes there were no warning bells. It was only because the faculty members had a good understanding of the data, or because the students fact checked everything, that they were detected.”

There were some advantages to the AI-generated articles. The algorithm was faster and more efficient in processing all the required data, and in general, ChatGPT used better grammar than the students. But it couldn't always read the room: AI tended to use more flowery language that wasn’t always appropriate for scientific journals (unless the students had told ChatGPT to write it from the perspective of a graduate-level science student.)

Read More : The 100 Most Influential People in AI

That reflects a truth about the use of AI: it's only as good as the information it receives. While ChatGPT isn’t quite ready to author scientific journal articles, with the proper programming and training, it could improve and become a useful tool for researchers. “Right now it’s not great by itself, but it can be made to work,” says Kacena. For example, if queried, the algorithm was good at recommending ways to summarize data in figures and graphical depictions. “The advice it gave on those were spot on, and exactly what I would have done,” she says.

The more feedback the students provided on ChatGPT's work, the better it learned—and that represents its greatest promise. In the study, some students found that when they worked together with ChatGPT to write the article, the program continued to improve and provide better results if they told it what things it was doing right, and what was less helpful. That means that addressing problems like questionable references and plagiarism could potentially be fixed. ChatGPT could be programmed, for example, to not merge references and to treat each scientific journal article as its own separate reference, and to limit copying consecutive words to avoid plagiarism.

With more input and some fixes, Kacena believes that AI could help researchers smooth out the writing process and even gain scientific insights. "I think ChatGPT is here to stay, and figuring out how to make it better, and how to use it in an ethical and conscientious and scientifically sound manner, is going to be really important,” she says.

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COMMENTS

  1. PDF Abstract and Keywords Guide, APA Style 7th Edition

    KEYWORDS: Keywords need to be descriptive and capture the most important aspects of your paper. They are used for indexing in databases and as search terms for readers. Include three to five words, phrases, or . acronyms as keywords. Keywords Content. Keywords address essential paper elements, such as the following: • research topic ...

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    The keywords line should begin indented like a paragraph. (In typeset APA journal articles, the keywords line is aligned under the abstract.) Keywords: should be italicized, followed by a space. The words themselves should not be italicized. You can see an example under the abstract in this APA Style sample paper.

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    Following APA 7th edition guidelines, the phrase Keywords is to be in italics with a colon, followed by the keywords or phrases separated by commas. After the last keyword, no punctuation is used. So if I were writing keywords for this research guide I might use: Keywords: library research guides, LibGuides, APA 7th edition, citation styles.

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    General Insights Regarding Keywords in Research Papers. Number of keywords: Research papers typically include a list of 3-6 keywords, although some papers may have more or fewer. The specific number of keywords can vary based on the guidelines provided by the target journal or conference. Keyword density: There is no set rule for keyword ...

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    Keywords and phrases can easily be found by scanning . . . your initial research questions. encyclopedia and other articles used when conducting background research. bibliographies found at the end of books and articles. If you are still struggling, try these suggestions: Use a thesaurus to identify synonyms.

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    First, try that not all keywords are used in the title. Concise titles will attract more readers. But most importantly, the title is the main indexing source because it is the main input to databases. Adding alternative keywords to the title will increase your searchability. Think of the research field or subfield covered in your article ...

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    Pick specific, 2-4-word phrases as keywords. Single words often lead to false matches or are misconstrued so it's advised to choose keywords that are phrases with 2-4 words, and not longer. It's important also to be specific when choosing keywords in research papers to ensure your work stands out. For example, if the paper is about leg pain ...

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  18. How to Write a Research Paper

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    Keywords should represent key concepts. They should be descriptive. Keywords should reflect a collective understanding of the topic. Limit keywords/phrases to 3-4. Use synonyms of keywords throughout. Reuse keywords and phrases throughout article or abstract. The best keywords are proper names, specific procedures or techniques, outcome areas ...

  21. Make It Simple: Research Paper Keyword Generator + Valuable Tips

    When choosing your keywords, it is best to remember several general rules. For example, you should try avoiding abbreviations where possible. Additionally, it is best to use short phrases rather than singular words. Our research paper generator will become a valuable tool for your academic pursuits.

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    This video explains how to choose Keywords for a research paper? The Best and Fastest way to write research paper and publish it soon by simply take ONE GOO...

  23. PDF Strategies for Essay Writing

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    Jan 25, 2017. 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.

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    Gaining a better understanding of keywords also helps you optimize content more effectively. Because it tells you what users are looking for. Types of Keywords. Before you do keyword analysis for SEO, it's helpful to know the most common types of keywords. Let's explore them: Informational, Navigational, Commercial, and Transactional Keywords

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    Another less obvious application for AI summarization is helping you write a thesis statement for a research paper or other academic writing. A thesis statement is a succinct sentence that encapsulates the entire point of your paper, usually placed in the introduction as a way to explain to your readers what the paper is about. ...

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    But a steady stream of research continues to suggest that taking notes the traditional way—with pen and paper or even stylus and tablet—is still the best way to learn, especially for young ...

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