Events
Events in GA4 move significantly away from the event structure seen in previous versions of GA. GA4 intentionally moves away from the generic 'event' and associated parameters of action, category, label and value.
Instead of this, each GA4 event has a meaningful name, and supplemental information is passed as event parameters (custom definitions).
Historically, we have added tracking to a great deal more interactions than we actually need. If you are not going to report on an interaction, please don't track it.
Tracking everything just in case is not a scalable solution; it affects end-user performance, causes unnecessary noise in the reporting interface which makes the job of analysts much harder, and increases cloud costs.
Before implementing any event tracking on your site, it is crucial to understand the types of events in GA4. Where possible, use an event from the Google defined events.
Events in GA4 are categorised into distinct categories:
Google defined events
Automatically collected events
Reference: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9234069?hl=en&ref_topic=9756175
For most cases, the only automatically collected event that is applicable to our sites is page_view. Although it appears in the 'Enhanced measurement events', it cannot be switched off.
Enhanced measurement events
Reference: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9216061?hl=en&ref_topic=9756175
Enhanced measurement events are essentially automatically collected events that need to be enabled via the Google analytics interface.
These are:
- Scroll -
scroll - Outbound clicks -
click - Site search -
view_search_results - Video engagement -
video_start,video_progress,video_complete - File downloads -
file_download
We strongly recommend that outbound clicks and scroll are NOT enabled, for the following reasons:
- We often have links on our sites that take the user to another site (on a different domain). These sorts of links would be considered ‘outbound links’ by Google and in the GA interface, the event would simply be named
click. We need to surface those events better, and so we prefer to attach our own event names to them. The most prominent example of this is links to submit manuscript. These fall under the Springer Nature defined events - The scroll enhanced measurement event only fires when "90% vertical depth becomes visibile". For most cases, this isn't sufficient, and it's more useful to have smaller increments reported. Our example GTM containers include a scroll depth tag that will send an event at 25%, 50%, and 75%. The event is named
scroll_[threshold]_percent, e.g.scroll_25_percent.
Recommended events
Reference: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9267735?hl=en&ref_topic=9756175
Recommended events are a list of predefined events that Google recommend using. These events require certain parameters to be sent with the event in order for them to be useful, which is why they're not sent automatically.
For e-commerce events, we should always use the Google recommended events. This is critical for e-commerce reports to work correctly. See the ‘For online sales’ section for event details.
Outside of e-commerce, many recommended events are not very relevant to the interactions that happen on our websites. However, there are some we do recommend using:
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters | Optional Parameters | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
login | A user logs in | None | method | https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events#login |
search | A user searches content | search_term | None | https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events#search |
select_content | A user selects content | None | content_type, item_id | https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events#select_content |
share | A user shares content | None | method, content_type, item_id | https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events#share |
sign_up | A user signs up for an account | None | method | https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events?client_type=gtag#sign_up |
Additional custom parameters can also be sent with these events, but any parameters used should come from the Springer Nature predefined list that is outlined in the Custom events section.
Why should these be used over custom events?
In terms of Google functionality, it's unclear. However, it's assumed that Google will offer extended reporting features for these specific events.
In terms of Springer Nature, it's very useful. Events that are named the same across different applications / domains makes life easier for data analysts. See Springer Nature defined events for more detail.
Custom events
Custom events covers all events that are not Google defined.
Carefuly consideration needs to be taken when using custom events, because consistent event naming and syntax makes reporting a lot easier, especially if you're trying to gather data from across multiple different properties.
To help with event naming, we have defined a number of event prefixes that should be used for certain types of events.
| Prefix | Used for... | Example |
|---|---|---|
click_ | Arbitrary links, either outbound or within your website. These are links that are not part of lists of content or navigation. | click_submit_manuscript |
select_ | Links to content selected by the user from a list or grid. The content is normally promoted in some way, for exmaple, in a section on a journal home page. This is a more specific version of Googles select_content | select_recent_article |
reach_ | Views on a specific page. | reach_get_published |
nav_ | Links that are part of a navigation menu. | nav_item |
toc_ | Links that are part of a table of contents menu. | toc_abstract |
anchor_ | Links that take you to an anchor on the same page. | anchor_featured_books |
tab_ | Links / buttons that are part of a tab menu. | tab_latest |
sign_up_ | Signing up for a particular service. Note that for signing up to a website itself, the Google defined signup event should be used. | sign_up_bmc_newsletter |
filter_ | Links that are part of a navigation menu. | filter_search_results |
dialog_ | Interactions with a dialog modal. | dialog_open |
form_ | Progress through a form submission process | form_begin |
checkout_ | Progress through a checkout process not covered by GA recommended events | checkout_step |
cart_ | Cart actions not covered by GA4 recommended events | cart_reminder |
error_ | Events related to errors | error_timeout |
visible_ | An element becomes visible within the viewport | visible_briefing_banner |
Before creating a custom event, you must ensure that there is not a Springer Nature defined event that should be used instead.
Springer Nature defined events
Springer Nature defined events are reserved event names that are used to measure specific interactions that span multiple applications and domains. They tend to be considered a 'conversion' by the business as a whole, and map to business level KPIs.
- You must use these names to report on critical events.
- You must not use them for any other purposes.
Manuscript submission events
These events represent a user going through the process of submitting a manuscript. These events are for the submission process itself, and not for simple links to a submission site.
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
snapp_submission_start | A user starts submission process on SNAPP submission site | None |
snapp_submission_complete | A user finally submits manuscript at review tab on SNAPP submission site | None |
ejp_submission_start | A user starts submission process on EJP submission site | None |
ejp_submission_complete | A user finally submits manuscript at review tab on EJP submission site | None |
em_submission_start | A user starts submission process on Editorial Manager submission site | None |
em_submission_complete | A user finally submits manuscript at review tab on Editorial Manager submission site | None |
click events
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
click_submit_manuscript | A user clicks a link to the submit manuscript site that is displayed as a link within content | None |
click_login | A user clicks a link to the login system | None |
click_signup | A user clicks a link to the registration system | None |
click_nature_subscribe | A user clicks a link to the Nature journal subscribe page | None |
click_submit_your_book_idea | A user clicks on a "Submit your book idea now!" link | None |
click_submission_guidelines_collections | A user clicks a link to the submission guidelines from the participating journal of a collection page | None |
click_participating_journal_collections | A user clicks a link to the participating journal of a collection page | None |
click_submit_to_journal_collections | A user clicks a submit to this journal link on a collection page | None |
click_reference | A user clicks a link from the references | None |
click_book_toc | A user clicks a table of contents link on a book page | None |
click_article_card_journal | A user clicks on the journal link from inside an article card | None |
click_language_checker | A user clicks a the language checker widget | None |
click_journal_collections | A user clicks a link to journal collections | None |
click_journal_issues | A user clicks a link to journal issues | None |
click_all_issues | A user clicks a link to all issues | None |
click_all_articles | A user clicks a link to all articles | None |
click_oa_articles | A user clicks a link to open access articles | None |
click_journal_updates | A user clicks a link to journal updates | None |
click_article_card_oa | A user clicks on the open access link from inside an article card | None |
click_imprint_logo | A user clicks a the imprint logo | None |
click_nature_plus | A user clicks a link to Nature Plus | None |
click_readcube | A user clicks a link to Read Cube | None |
click_breadcrumb | A user clicks a breadcrumb item | None |
click_oa_benefits | A user clicks a link to open access benefits | None |
click_journal_home | A user clicks a link to journal home | None |
click_job_apply | A user clicks a link to a job application | None |
nav events
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
nav_publishing_model | A user clicks the publishing model from a navigation | None |
nav_journal_updates | A user clicks journal updates within a navigation | None |
nav_aims_and_scope | A user clicks aims and scope within a navigation | None |
nav_editorial_board | A user clicks editorial board within a navigation | None |
nav_submission_guidelines | A user clicks submission guidelines within a navigation | None |
nav_fees | A user clicks fees within a navigation | None |
nav_how_to_publish | A user clicks how to publish within a navigation | None |
nav_contact | A user clicks a contact link within a navigation | None |
nav_call_for_papers | A user clicks call for papers within a navigation | None |
nav_ethics | A user clicks ethics within a navigation | None |
nav_language_services | A user clicks language services within a navigation | None |
nav_presubmission_checklist | A user clicks presubmission checklist within a navigation | None |
select events
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
select_discover_oa | A user clicks on "Discover Open Access" link | None |
select_book_ebookshelf | A user selects a book from the ebook shelf | None |
select_browse_subject | A user clicks "Browse by Subject" | None |
select_search_result | A user clicks a search result | None |
select_journal | A user selects a journal | None |
select_subject | A user selects a subject | None |
select_book | A user selects a book | None |
select_latest_issue | A user clicks a link to the latest issue | None |
select_latest_article | A user selects and article from a latest articles list | None |
select_collection | A user selects a collection from a list of collections | None |
select_issue | A user selects an issue from a list of issues | None |
reach events
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
reach_submission_guidelines | A user lands on any page related to submission guidelines | None |
reach_blog | A user lands on a blog page | None |
reach_b2b_blog | A user lands on a page on "The Link" blog | None |
reach_full_text_article | A user lands on an article page | None |
reach_books_contact_editor | A user lands on a "Contact the editor" page | None |
reach_author_resources | A user lands on an author resources page, e.g. "authors-and-referees/author" | None |
reach_books_publishing_guidelines | A user lands on a publishing guidelines page for books | None |
reach_b2b_journal_product | A user lands on a journal product page, e.g. "www.springernature.com/[a-z]2/librarians/products/journals" | None |
reach_b2b_ebook_product | A user lands on an e-book product page, e.g. "www.springernature.com/[a-z]2/librarians/products/ebooks" | None |
reach_b2b_das_product | A user lands on a Databases and Solutions (DAS) product page | None |
reach_articles_listing | A user lands on an articles listing page (contact GAE for more information) | None |
reach_journal_about | A user lands on any "about" page, e.g. about us, about editor, about journal | None |
reach_journals_listing | A user lands on an journals listing page, e.g. https://www.springernature.com/gp/products/journals | None |
reach_collections_listing | A user lands on any collections listing page | None |
reach_supplements_listing | A user lands on a supplements listing page, e.g. https://fluidsbarrierscns.biomedcentral.com/articles/supplements | None |
signup events
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
signup_e_alert | A user sign ups up for e-alerts | None |
signup_citations_alert | A user signs up for citations alerts | None |
signup_nature_masterclass | A user signs up for Nature Masterclass Free | None |
signup_nature_briefing | A user signs up for Nature Briefing | None |
filter events
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
filter_collections | A user filters a list of collections | None |
Other events
| Event | Triggered when... | Required Parameters |
|---|---|---|
get_shareable_link | A user clicks "get shareable link" | None |
file_download | A user downloads a pdf where the extension is not provided in the href (where Google enhanced event does not work) | None |
Creating your own events
When considering using your own custom event, it is preferable to use high level event names combined with additional parameters to increase specificity. The Springer Nature custom events above need to be right at the front of our GA dashboard. Everything else, needs be grouped at a higher level. This matches the approach that Google have taken with event names. You can then use any of the recommended parameters to differentiate one event from another.
Consistent event naming across our products simplifies reporting at a larger scale and makes the data much more useful. Ensure that you follow the event guidance above.