B767-200 CREW SMELLED SMOKE OR ODOR THAT WAS ELECTRICAL IN NATURE.

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WE DEPARTED ZZZ ON RWY 9L BOUND FOR TPA. THE PREFLT; TAXI; AND TKOF WERE NORMAL. AFTER TKOF; I FELT AND HEARD A RUMBLE IN THE ACFT AND NOTICED A HIGH VIBRATION INDICATION ON THE L ENG. JUST SECONDS LATER; THE VIBRATION INDICATION RETURNED TO NORMAL WITH NO OTHER INDICATION OF A PROB. WE CONTINUED THE DEP. AS WE CLBED THROUGH APPROX 15000 FT; I ASKED THE FO IF HE SMELLED SMOKE. HE SAID HE DID; AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE PURSER CALLED TO SAY SHE SMELLED SMOKE AS WELL. THE FO AND I FELT THAT THE SMOKE WAS ELECTRICAL IN NATURE AND THAT THE INTENSITY WAS INCREASING. WE AS A CREW COULD NOT IDENT A SOURCE FOR THE ODOR. WE STOPPED OUR CLB AT APPROX FL260 AND DECLARED AN EMER WITH ZTL. THEY GAVE US PRIORITY HANDLING AND A CLRNC TO DSND AND RETURN TO ZZZ. WE ADVISED THE DISPATCHER VIA ACARS OF OUR TURN-BACK. THE FO TOLD THE PURSER AND THE PAX THAT WE WERE RETURNING TO ZZZ BECAUSE OF SMOKE PROB. IN THE PROCESS; WE COMPLETED THE SMOKE OR FUMES OR FIRE ELECTRICAL CHKLIST. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE INTENSITY OF THE SMOKE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AND WASN'T NOTICEABLE IN THE FLT DECK. THE PURSER SAID THAT THERE WERE TIMES WHEN SHE THOUGHT THE SMOKE HAD DISSIPATED AND OTHER TIMES WHEN SHE THOUGHT IT HAD RECURRED. TO MY KNOWLEDGE; WE NEVER HAD A VISUAL INDICATION OF SMOKE AND THE INTENSITY WAS NEVER SEVERE. THE DSCNT AND LNDG WERE ALL NORMAL. WE LANDED ON RWY 9R AND TAXIED CLR OF RWY 9L TO HAVE THE EMER VEHICLES EXAMINE THE ACFT FOR ANY INDICATION OF DAMAGE; FIRE; OR SMOKE. THERE WAS NONE. WE FELT AN EVAC WAS NOT NECESSARY AND TAXIED TO GATE WITH THE EMER EQUIP FOLLOWING THE ACFT. WE DEPLANED THE ACFT IN AN ORDERLY MANNER WITH NO INDICATION OF MEDICAL PROBS TO ANY OF THE CREW OR PAX. AFTER THE PAX DEPARTED; WE MADE A LOGBOOK WRITE-UP AND GAVE MAINT PERSONNEL A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF WHAT OCCURRED. IN RETROSPECT; I WOULD HAVE ALSO RUN THE SMOKE OR FUMES REMOVAL CHKLIST. ALTHOUGH THE SMOKE OR FUMES WERE NOT THAT SIGNIFICANT; THE NEW BOEING CHKLIST LISTS A RELATIVELY NEW PRIORITY GUIDELINE FOR SMOKE AND FUME EVENTS THAT HAVE YOU 1) PLAN TO LAND; 2) VENTILATE; THEN 3) IDENT. WE ESSENTIALLY COMPLETED STEPS #1 AND #3. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 634506: THE FIRE MARSHAL EXAMINED THE ACFT FOR ANY INDICATION OF DAMAGE; FIRE OR SMOKE. THERE WAS NONE. WE WERE MET AT THE GATE BY ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT; AND REPRESENTATIVES OF MAINT; CUSTOMER SVC; AND THE FIRE MARSHAL. POSTFLT DISCUSSION WITH CAPT; WE DECIDED GIVEN A SIMILAR SIT; IT WOULD BE BETTER IF I; THE FO FLEW THE AIRPLANE AND FACILITATED THE CAPT TALKING DIRECTLY TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS. IN RETROSPECT; PERFORMING THE SMOKE ELIMINATION CHKLIST MAY HAVE MADE THE SMOKE ODOR DISSIPATE QUICKER.