Does metadata count? A Webometric investigation

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of metadata on websites. Specifically, the study investigated whether the extent of metadata use by a site influences the Web Impact Factor (WIF) of the site. The WIF is a Webometric measure of the recognition that a site has on the web. WIFs were calculated for two classes of sites: electronic journals and NZ University Web Sites. The most positive correlation was found between the substantive WIF of the electronic journal sites and the extent of Dublin Core metadata use. The study also indicates a higher level of metadata use than previous studies, but this may be due to the nature of the sites investigated.