The description of each SSC Archive package exists as a 'ReDIF
template' which contains both an Abstract (description in .pkg) and
Keywords (which now will appear in .pkg files); that template is
translated into a .pkg file when the item is created or updated. It
would be useful for authors of materials for the archive would provide
both a description and appropriate keywords, just as they are often
asked to do for journal articles.
The Keywords play an important role in the web interface to the SSC
Archive, and I am informed by sources at StataCorp that anything on
'd' lines is fair game for the 'findit' engine. In that sense, having
keywords in the description OR in the KW: field will work equally well
in assisting 'findit' or 'search' within Stata.
Kit Baum, Boston College Economics
http://ideas.repec.org/e/pba1.html
On Dec 15, 2004, at 2:33 AM, Joe wrote:
First, to be fair to StataCorp, -findit- (or -net search . . ., pkg-)
*does*
already do a keyword search as well as it can throughout the package
file's
descriptive text, if I understand its actions correctly. And so it's
vital
to the mutual success of contributor and future contribution seeker to
assure that pertinent keywords appear in that text. Perhaps a note to
this
effect added to the -ssc submit- guidance document would be
beneficial, that
is, the author is alerted to the benefit of writing the text of the
package
file's descriptive text to include deliberately considered
keyword-style
terms, where this might not have been among the objectives beforehand
in
preparing it. This, without imposing a new standard for acceptance.
It will always be a matter of judgment when the list is reasonably but
not
cumbersomely inclusive. But in general, if the package description
text is
written with an eye toward incorporating salient keyword-style terms
somewhere in it, then the chances are increased that the mindsets of
author
and future user will align at least to the extent that the package
won't
remain hidden from users using -findit-, who naturally have an
inclination
to search using keyword-type terms.
*
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
