Metadata as a catalyst: Experiments with metadata and search engines in the Internet journal, First Monday

This study examines metadata as a means to enhance information retrieval in a suite of seven search engines, AltaVista, Excite, Google, HotBot, InfoSeek, Lycos, and Northern Light. Papers were selected from issues of the Internet-only journal First Monday, and examined by portions of author and title in seven search engines, without metadata. Metatags were then added to these papers and the searches were repeated five months later. Metadata alone did not play a significant role in increasing the likelihood of a given paper being indexed or highly ranked by any specific search engine.