When naming your guide, try to be as succinct as possible. Use title case capitalization and spell out any acronyms or abbreviations, where appropriate. Above all, the title of your guide should reflect the content of that page.
At Pratt, titling guides is usually subject to guide types (see next section for more on Guide Types:
For subject guides, use an identifying label that describes the subject without tacking on additional guide-related language (“Research Guide”; “Intro to [subject] Research”, etc.).
Examples: Communications Design, Interior Design Disability Studies, Architecture, 16mm Film, Internet and Data Privacy, Materials Research
For course-specific guides, please list the course code, followed by the course name.
Example: SUST401: Power, Pollution, and Profit
For topic guides, use whatever language is most appropriate for the topic, and look to existing topic guide labeling for cohesion, when possible. Additionally, if you are creating a guide related to current events, please contact Elizabeth Berg (aberg286@pratt.edu).
Examples: Understanding Israel & Palestine: A Current Events Resource Guide, Black Resource Guide
For collaborative guides created with a Institute or external partners, consider the nature of the guide’s content when labeling. If your content directs users to the resources and operations of that office/department/campus resource, use their name in the guide title. If the content is more topic/subject based, follow guidelines for subject and topic labelling.
Examples: Center for Teaching and Learning, Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, Understanding Israel & Palestine: A Current Events Resource Guide [created in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion]
When assigning a ‘type’ to your guide, please use one of the following options:
Subject guides are those focused on a particular subject area and aim to present related resources that can deepen users’ knowledge on the subject. Guides aligned with major departments or mapped to curricular programs are usually subject guides, rather than topic guides (see below).
Topic guides are similar to subject guides, but reflect more specific content, often representing a specific category, event, or application. Guides related to current events and topical discourse fall into this category, as do guides created in collaboration with Institute partners.
Course guides are those created in alignment with Pratt courses.
Library resources and research support guides include information and how-to advice related to the Libraries' resources, collections, and services, as well as the research process.
When assigning subjects to your guide, consider “aboutness”. To optimize discovery, try to limit subject values to only those which most closely represent your topic.
For example: a subject guide on Communications Design or Architecture may include references to film and video resources, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to list ‘Film & Video’ as subjects on either guide.
Subject assignment is especially important, as this impacts discoverability on our Research Guides landing page, which defaults to subject browsing.
Try and limit guide subjects to one or two subjects to enhance clustering and avoid redundancy or confusion. Lastly, create new subject values sparingly.
For step-by-step instructions, read Springshare’s documentation on assigning subjects and tags.
Tags are words or phrases that can improve the searchability of your guide.
Try to avoid replicating subject terms in your tagging, and instead think of synonyms or specific terms related to your subject that might improve findability.
For step-by-step instructions, read Springshare’s documentation on assigning subjects and tags.