<cite> And Google Scholar Options

[jonbey]

Hi

Was looking at Google Scholar, and noticed that it lists sites that cite research papers. I have done this serveral times, but never seen my site in the cited sites section. I then noticed that some people use <cite></cite> around links. Is this some sort of universal mark to show that you are citing something, and not just linking to something because you think it is cool?

Should I go through my site and cite all research sites in sight?



Cheerio,

Jon.

[nuts]

Outtasight, man...

[iamlost]

I then noticed that some people use <cite></cite> around links. Is this some sort of universal mark to show that you are citing something, and not just linking to something because you think it is cool?

Yes, to universal mark to show that you are citing something.
Of course, correctly using HTML markup is also a sign that you are way cool.

And being cool is not always easy...

From HTML 4.01 Specification, 9 Text, 9.2.1 Phrase elements
Note that here 'cite' is an attribute not a tag.

cite = uri [CT]
The value of this attribute is a URI that designates a source document or message. This attribute is intended to give information about the source from which the quotation was borrowed.

...

This example formats an excerpt from "The Two Towers", by J.R.R. Tolkien, as a blockquote.

CODE

<BLOCKQUOTE cite="http://www.mycom.com/tolkien/twotowers.html">
<P>They went in single file, running like hounds on a strong scent,
and an eager light was in their eyes. Nearly due west the broad
swath of the marching Orcs tramped its ugly slot; the sweet grass
of Rohan had been bruised and blackened as they passed.</P>
</BLOCKQUOTE>

From HTML5, Draft Standard — 2 June 2009, 4.6 Text-level semantics, 4.6.3 The cite element
Note that here 'cite' can be an element as well as an attribute:

The cite element represents the title of a work (e.g. a book, a paper, an essay, a poem, a score, a song, a script, a film, a TV show, a game, a sculpture, a painting, a theatre production, a play, an opera, a musical, an exhibition, etc). This can be a work that is being quoted or referenced in detail (i.e. a citation), or it can just be a work that is mentioned in passing.

...

This next example shows a typical use of the cite element:

CODE

<p>My favorite book is <cite>The Reality Dysfunction</cite> by
Peter F. Hamilton. My favorite comic is <cite>Pearls Before
Swine</cite> by Stephan Pastis. My favorite track is <cite>Jive
Samba</cite> by the Cannonball Adderley Sextet.</p>

...

A citation is not a quote (for which the q element is appropriate).
[/code]

And from '4.6.2 The q element' an inclusive HTML5 'cite' example:

Here is an example with both an explicit citation link in the q element, and an explicit citation outside:

CODE

<p>The W3C page <cite>About W3C</cite> says the W3C's
mission is <q cite="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/">To lead the
World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and
guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web</q>. I
disagree with this mission.</p>

As Ian Hickson of Google is editor of the HTML5 standard among other HTML5 duties it is not surprising that Google is ahead of the cite curve.

[jonbey]

That is cool. So to stand a better chance of being picked up by Scholar I should use the q element rather than wrap everything in cite brackets. Will do.

Actually, I could use this lots more than just with research papers. But, is it recognised by other website owners? E.g. if I cite something I read in the Sunday Times, and use the elements, rather than show a visible source, would that upset some people? Or should we really use both? Cite elemtns in the blockquite, around the comapny name, plus the usual source reference aftwr the quote for all to see?

This post has been edited by jonbey: Jun 3 2009, 02:34 AM

[rustybrick]

http://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/publishers.html doesn't really talk about the syntax you should use...

[bwelford]

I must admit I'm intrigued by this thread. I made some small test files using the code suggestions from iamlost and to the human eye when viewed in the browser it is impossible to see that cite had been used in any way.

So this is only useful to robots, I assume. Since it is so little used, I would wonder whether google algorithms will take it into account.

It seems to be like another topic I was looking at recently, microformatting. That covers vcards and hcards. Does anyone other than the creators use this? Is there any evidence that they figure in local search algorithms, despite what Yahoo and Google may say.