With the TimesTags API, you can mine the riches of the New York Times tag set. The TimesTags service matches your query to the controlled vocabularies that fuel NYTimes.com metadata. Note this API is deprecated; equivalent functionality is available through the Semantic API.
openapi: 3.0.1
info:
title: The New York Times TimesTags API
description: |
With the TimesTags API, you can mine the riches of the New York Times tag set. The TimesTags service matches your query to the controlled vocabularies that fuel NYTimes.com metadata. You supply a string of characters, and the service returns a ranked list of suggested terms.
**Note:** This API is deprecated. You can get the same data from the [Semantic API](https://developer.nytimes.com/docs/semantic-api-product/1/overview). Just replace `/svc/suggest/v1/timestags` with `/svc/semantic/v2/concept/suggest`.
```
https://api.nytimes.com/svc/semantic/v2/concept/suggest
```
**Note:** In this document, curly braces { } indicate required variables. Square
brackets [ ] indicate optional parameters or placeholders.
**The TimesTags API at a Glance**
**Base URI**
```
https://api.nytimes.com/svc/suggest/v1/timestags
```
**Scope**
New York Times tags used to build [Times Topics](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/pages/topics/index.html) pages, reflecting the expertise of Times indexers since 1851. See [Tags](https://developer.nytimes.com/docs/timestags_api/#h3-tags) for more information on the scope.
**HTTP method**
GET
**Response format**
JSON (`.json`)
Why Use TimesTags?
------------------
The TimesTags service can help you build a tag set, standardize names of people and organizations, or identify subjects that are currently making news.
Information architects and librarians may also wish to compare Times tags to [Library of Congress subject headings](https://authorities.loc.gov/) and other classification systems.
Additionally, the terms you retrieve with the TimesTags API can be used with the Times Article Search API.
For general thoughts on the potential of metadata, see the post [Messing Around With Metadata](https://open.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/messing-around-with-metadata/) on our Open blog. For background information on Times indexing practices, see the article [Dusting Off the Search Engine](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/17/opinion/dusting-off-the-search-engine.html).
And for more on the power of auto-suggest methods, see [Enriching Search:
Auto-Suggest in IE8](http://open.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/enriching-search-auto-suggest-in-ie8/).
Requests
--------
TimesTags requests use the following URI structure:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://api.nytimes.com/svc/suggest/v1/timestags?query={search-string}&[optional-param1=value1]&[...]&api-key={your-api-key}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
### TAGS
The TimesTags API operates on a subset of Times tags: those tags used to create [Times Topics](<https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/pages/topics/index.html>) pages. The subset includes approximately 27,000 tags:
> `(Des)`: 3,000 terms
> `(Geo)`: 1,500 terms
> `(Org)`: 7,500 terms
> `(Per)`: 15,000 terms
In responses, tags are ranked according to how frequently they are used (they are listed in descending order). For example, if your query is *palin*, the most commonly used matching tag is *Palin, Sarah (Per)*. The ranking reflects current usage, so tags will move down the list as their “newsiness” declines. New tags are added regularly.
Your query is matched to the beginning of each word in each tag. For example, `query=son&filter=(Per)` returns all of the following tags:
> `Sondheim, Stephen`
> `Sontag, Susan`
> `Bono, Sonny`
Each tag includes a dictionary abbreviation in parentheses. See the [description of the filter parameter](http://developer.nytimes.com/docs/timestags_api/#h3-optional) for more information about Times dictionaries. The dictionary abbreviations are also used in `<meta>` tags on NYTimes.com.
### FORMAT
The TimesTags service returns JSON, with a `content-type` of `text/plain`. The JSON response format is ideal for browser auto-suggest applications.
### TIMES STYLE
The following notes may help you formulate your query:
- Times tags do not use special characters (accents, diacritics, etc.).
- Refer to [The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage](https://www.amazon.com/York-Times-Manual-Style-Usage/dp/081296389X) for preferred terms and general style tips.
**Personal Names**
Personal names are in the format *LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial.* Middle initials and appellations (Jr/Sr) do not include periods.
> Example: `Albee, Edward (Per)`
Exceptions to the standard order for personal names:
- For names in which the family name precedes the given name (such as Chinese, Korean and Thai names), the order is reversed.
- For royal names that do not include family names, only the given name is included in the standardized name.
**Organization Names**
Organization names that are derived from personal names are in the format *LastName, FirstName*.
> Example: `Gates, Bill and Melinda, Foundation (Org)`
Company names generally use abbreviations such as *Corp*, *Co* and *Inc*, but may vary.
Examples
--------
These examples do not include the required `api-key` parameter. Be sure to include your API key in your request.
### REQUESTS
Get tags based on a few characters, searching all dictionaries:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://api.nytimes.com/svc/suggest/v1/timestags?query=cel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get names of people and organizations:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://api.nytimes.com/svc/suggest/v1/timestags?query=edwards&filter=(Per),(Org)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get tags corresponding to a country, as a geographical unit and as a subject:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://api.nytimes.com/svc/suggest/v1/timestags?query=french&filter=(Geo),(Des)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get the top five descriptive terms containing the characters `econ`:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://api.nytimes.com/svc/suggest/v1/timestags?query=econ&filter=(Des)&max=5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
### RESPONSES
Here is a sample response to the first example given above (`cel`):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{
"cel",[
"Cellular Telephones (Des)",
"Boston Celtics (Org)",
"Celebrities (Des)",
"Stem Cells (Des)",
"Celebrex (Drug) (Des)",
"Sickle Cell Anemia (Des)",
"Dion, Celine (Per)",
"Cruz, Celia (Per)",
"Basements and Cellars (Des)",
"Cellucci, Paul (Per)"
]
}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is a sample response to the `french` example:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{
"french",[
"France (Geo)",
"French Open (Tennis) (Des)",
"French Language (Des)",
"French Guiana (Geo)",
"St Barthelemy (French West Indies) (Geo)",
"French Alps (Geo)",
"French Fries (Des)",
"French Polynesia (France) (Geo)",
"French Southern Territories (Geo)"
]
}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is a sample response to the `econ` example:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{
"econ",[
"Economic Conditions and Trends (Des)",
"United States Economy (Des)",
"Embargoes and Economic Sanctions (Des)",
"Economics (Des)",
"Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (Des)"
]
}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
version: 1.0.0
servers:
- url: http://api.nytimes.com/svc/suggest/v1/timestags
- url: https://api.nytimes.com/svc/suggest/v1/timestags
security:
- apikey: []
paths:
/timestags:
get:
parameters:
- name: query
in: query
description: Your search query
required: true
schema:
type: string
- name: filter
in: query
description: |
If you do not specify a value for filter (see the Optional Parameters), your query will be matched to tags in all four Times dictionaries: subject, geographic location, organization and person. To use more than one, separate with commas.
schema:
type: string
enum:
- Des
- Geo
- Org
- Per
- name: max
in: query
description: Sets the maximum number of results
schema:
type: integer
default: 10
responses:
"200":
description: An array of tags
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: array
items:
type: array
items:
type: string
tags:
- Timestags
components:
securitySchemes:
apikey:
type: apiKey
name: api-key
in: query
x-original-swagger-version: "2.0"
tags:
- name: Timestags