Key Words and Phrases—The Key to Scholarly Visibility and Efficiency in an Information Explosion

Abstract

The statistical literature is growing at an increasing rate and has become diffused among more journals and publishers. Most libraries now have neither the funds nor the space to provide anything approaching complete coverage. As a result, access to the literature by statisticians is increasingly mediated by computer-assisted bibliographic searches. Authors can do much to help bibliographers provide relevant and complete information about their papers, including the selection of appropriate key words and phrases (KW's). Complete bibliographic information can also help prevent duplication of results, and thus wasted time and journal space. Guidelines for the selection of optimal KW's are provided and discussed.

Key Words:

• Acknowledgment of priority
• Bibliography
• Computer-readable databases
• Duplicate publication
• Electronic publication
• Information management
• Information retrieval