Developing an Author Checklist to Improve Discovery of Published Articles in the Era of Algorithmic Indexing

Developing an Author Checklist to Improve discovery of published articles in the era of algorithmic indexing Background: With an increase in algorithmic indexing of health sciences databases, several studies have shown that errors or omissions are leading to inaccurate indexing and increased challenges with finding relevant information. Although several style guides, reporting guidelines, and journals provide information to authors preparing a manuscript/abstract, these can be difficult to access and use. Objective: This project will describe the process of developing and disseminating a checklist for authors who are preparing to publish their work. The goal of this checklist is to strengthen author performance in writing an abstract that represents their work well, is clear, and employs appropriate language while avoiding extraneous and misleading terms, to increase the likelihood of accurate indexing. Outcomes: As indexing becomes more fully conducted by machines, it is essential that authors are aware of how to best portray their work to ensure that it can be captured and used. Providing a checklist to help mitigate these indexing issues is a worthwhile step for librarians who are regularly working with authors.