Dietmar Wolfram

Searching the Web: the public and their queries

In studying actual Web searching by the public at large, we analyzed over one million Web queries by users of the Excite search engine. We found that most people use few search terms, few modified queries, view few Web pages, and rarely use advanced search features. A small number of search terms are used with high frequency, and a great many terms are unique; the language of Web queries is distinctive. Queries about recreation and entertainment rank highest. Findings are compared to data from two other large studies of Web queries. This study provides an insight into the public practices and choices in Web searching.

From e-sex to e-commerce: Web search changes

The Web has become a worldwide source of information and a mainstream business tool. Are human information needs and searching behaviors evolving along with Web content? As part of a body of research studying this question, we have analyzed three data sets culled from more than one million queries submitted by more than 200,000 users of the Excite Web search engine, collected in September 1997, December 1999, and May 2001. This longitudinal benchmark study shows that public Web searching is evolving in certain directions. Specifically, search topics have shifted from entertainment and sex to commerce and people, but there is little change in query lengths or frequency per user. Search topics have shifted, but there is little change in user search behaviors.

Measuring author research relatedness: A comparison of word-based, topic-based, and author cocitation approaches

Relationships between authors based on characteristics of published literature have been studied for decades. Author cocitation analysis using mapping techniques has been most frequently used to study how closely two authors are thought to be in intellectual space based on how members of the research community co-cite their works. Other approaches exist to study author relatedness based more directly on the text of their published works. In this study we present static and dynamic word-based approaches using vector space modeling, as well as a topic-based approach based on latent Dirichlet allocation for mapping author research relatedness. Vector space modeling is used to define an author space consisting of works by a given author. Outcomes for the two word-based approaches and a topic-based approach for 50 prolific authors in library and information science are compared with more traditional author cocitation analysis using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. The two word-based approaches produced similar outcomes except where two authors were frequent co-authors for the majority of their articles. The topic-based approach produced the most distinctive map.

Applying informetric characteristics of databases to IR system file design, Part I: informetric models

Abstract This study examines how informetric characteristics of information retrieval (IR) system databases can be used to help the systems designer decide what types of file structures would provide the best performance for a given type of information system environment. In this first of two papers, the development of appropriate models describing database contents, to be used later in a simulation study, are dealt with. Database characteristics for which data were collected include: the index term frequency distribution, the distribution of terms used per query, and the distribution of term frequency selections. A shifted generalized Waring distribution was found to provide the best fit for the index term distributions with the large data sets used. For the terms used per query, a shifted negative binomial was found to provide a reasonable fit. A complex relationship was observed for the term selection distribution data, for which the empirical distribution is used. As well, four other hypothetical term selection relationships are presented. With this information, a simulation study examining system performance under different informetric environments can be undertaken.

Search characteristics in different types of Web-based IR environments: Are they the same?

Transaction logs from four different Web-based information retrieval environments (bibliographic databank, OPAC, search engine, specialized search system) were analyzed for empirical regularities in search characteristics to determine whether users engage in different behaviors in different Web-based search environments. Descriptive statistics and relative frequency distributions related to term usage, query formulation, and session duration were tabulated. The analysis revealed that there are differences in these characteristics. Users were more likely to engage in extensive searching using the OPAC and specialized search system. Surprisingly, the bibliographic databank search environment resulted in the most parsimonious searching, more similar to a general search engine. Although on the surface Web-based search facilities may appear similar, users do engage in different search behaviors.

Searcher response in a hypertext-based bibliographic information retrieval system

This article examines searcher behavior and affective response to a hypertext‐based bibliographic information retrieval system called HyperLynx for searchers with different search skills and backgrounds. Search times and number of nodes visited were recorded for five specified search queries, and views of the system were recorded for each searcher. No significant differences were found in search times our user satisfaction with the system, indicating that a hypertext‐based approach to bibliographic retrieval could be approapriate for a variety of searcher experience levels.

Citer analysis as a measure of research impact: library and information science as a case study

The investigators studied author research impact using the number of citers per publication an author’s research has been able to attract, as opposed to the more traditional measure of citations. A focus on citers provides a complementary measure of an author’s reach or influence in a field, whereas citations, although possibly numerous, may not reflect this reach, particularly if many citations are received from a small number of citers. In this exploratory study, Web of Science was used to tally citer and citation-based counts for 25 highly cited researchers in information studies in the United States and 26 highly cited researchers from the United Kingdom. Outcomes of the tallies based on several measures, including an introduced ch-index, were used to determine whether differences arise in author rankings when using citer-based versus citation-based counts. The findings indicate a strong correlation between some citation and citer-based measures, but not with others. The findings of the study have implications for the way authors’ research impact may be assessed.

Visualizing the intellectual structure of information science (2006–2015): Introducing author keyword coupling analysis

We introduce the author keyword coupling analysis (AKCA) method to visualize the field of information science (2006–2015). We then compare the AKCA method with the author bibliographic coupling analysis (ABCA) method in terms of first- and all-author citation counts. We obtain the following findings: (1) The AKCA method is a new and feasible method for visualizing a disciplines structure, and the ABCA and AKCA methods have their respective strengths and emphases. The relation within the ABCA method is based on the same references (knowledge base), whereas that within the AKCA method is based on the same keywords (lexical linguistic). The AKCA method appears to provide a less detailed picture, and more uneven sub-areas of a discipline structure. The relationships between authors are narrow and direct and feature multiple levels in AKCA. (2) All-author coupling provides a comprehensive picture; thus, a complete view of a discipline structure may require both first- and all-author coupling analyses. (3) Information science evolved continuously during the second decade of the World Wide Web. The KDA (knowledge domain analysis) camp became remarkably prominent, while the IR camp (information retrieval) experienced a further decline in hard IR research, and became significantly smaller; Patent analysis and Open Access emerged during this period. Mapping of Science and Bibliometric evaluation also experienced substantial growth.

Internet searching, tablet technology and older adults

Tablet technology presents a simplified interface for users to interact with Internet resources. A comparison of user interaction with iPad tablet technology and desktop computers by older adults was conducted to better understand how they interact with each technology to perform basic information search tasks. Ten computer literate, senior citizens were given six search tasks. User interactions were videotaped and the participants were interviewed about their search experiences. Collected data were coded and analyzed qualitatively. Participants struggled with some features of the tablet technology, but overall found the experience to be positive and were able to complete most of their search tasks to their satisfaction. Some features of the tablet were not intuitive and differed from the desktop systems the participants used regularly. The size and sensitivity of the display area also presented some usability challenges. The greatest obstacles to search task completion arose more from the design of the websites visited rather than the features of the devices used.

State digital library usability: contributing organizational factors

Usage and user feedback about a state digital library, in which the developers/designers, content providers, different types of libraries and their staffs, and a variety of user groups represent a loose federation of separate organizations with diverse expectations and needs, are investigated. Through corroboratory evidence from usage statistics of Internet-based database services available through the digital library, responses to a statewide-administered library survey, and a Web-based survey of end users, the authors identify contributing factors for the organizational usability of state digital libraries. The authors refine and enhance an organizational usability model for the unique environment of state digital libraries and identify three modes of interaction (influence, communication, activity) and the challenges each interaction presents: in addressing diverse player needs and expectations; the unequal awareness and training in using state digital libraries; and the lack of sufficient communication channels among players. In addition, the findings highlight the double-edged impact of physical libraries on the state digital library.