arbiter
JournalsAccount

When words lose their edge: a comparative analysis of information security policy keywords in the UK and Sweden

Alexander Wedlund et al.

Information and Computer Security2026https://doi.org/10.1108/ics-11-2025-0455article
AJG 1ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare how congruent keywords are used to convey actionable advice in UK and Swedish information security policies (ISPs). Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a qualitative content analysis of 30 ISPs from higher education institutions, 15 from each country. To support analysis, the authors developed the ISP Keyword Analyzer software, which extracted 2,314 sentences containing analysed keywords. Each sentence was classified as actionable advice or other information. For comparison, the authors used the Keyword Loss of Specificity and Total Keyword Loss of Specificity metrics to measure how congruently keywords were used within each ISP. Findings The authors found two main patterns in keyword use. First, certain keywords are more prominent in ISPs from one country than the other, indicating differing importance across languages and national contexts. Second, the congruence in how keywords are used to convey actionable advice also varies. Swedish ISPs use keywords more congruently to guide employees towards action, whereas UK ISPs more often use them to convey other information than actionable advice. Research limitations/implications Differences in how ISPs are formulated across countries suggest that previous studies on ISP content and design are contextually bound. Practical implications The identified differences highlight how language and national context influence the clarity of ISPs, with implications for organisations operating in multilingual or international environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to compare how keywords are used in ISPs in different countries to express actionable advice.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/ics-11-2025-0455

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{alexander2026,
  title        = {{When words lose their edge: a comparative analysis of information security policy keywords in the UK and Sweden}},
  author       = {Alexander Wedlund et al.},
  journal      = {Information and Computer Security},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/ics-11-2025-0455},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

When words lose their edge: a comparative analysis of information security policy keywords in the UK and Sweden

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.