Search

The effect of voice technology on how consumers search for information online is explored. Results from a field survey of consumer experiences with voice-assisted search, three controlled experiments involving dictated (vs. typed) Google searches, and a supplemental experiment (N  = 10,385) find that vocalizing (vs. typing) a query leads consumers to provide more specific, detailed descriptions of what they are seeking, which in turn yield search results that they are more satisfied with. This occurs because consumers tend to be more concerned about communicating clearly when engaging with voice technology, which prompts them to think more about how they want to convey their query before saying it out loud (vs. typing it). This increased forethought leads consumers to provide more detailed descriptions of what they are searching for in vocalized queries, such as by including brand names and intended purposes of use. Finally, the increased specificity of vocalized (vs. typed) queries results in search returns that better satisfy consumers' search goals. Implications for research on consumer–technology interactions, as well as for marketers and consumers, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When people use web search engines to find information on debated topics, the search results they encounter can influence opinion formation and practical decision-making with potentially far-reaching consequences for the individual and society. However, current web search engines lack support for information-seeking strategies that enable responsible opinion formation, e.g., by mitigating confirmation bias and motivating engagement with diverse viewpoints. We conducted two preregistered user studies to test the benefits and risks of an intervention aimed at confirmation bias mitigation. In the first study, we tested the effect of warning labels, warning of the risk of confirmation bias, combined with obfuscations, hiding selected search results per default. We observed that obfuscations with warning labels effectively reduce engagement with search results. These initial findings did not allow conclusions about the extent to which the reduced engagement was caused by the warning label (reflective nudging element) versus the obfuscation (automatic nudging element). If obfuscation was the primary cause, this would raise concerns about harming user autonomy. We thus conducted a follow-up study to test the effect of warning labels and obfuscations separately. According to our findings, obfuscations run the risk of manipulating behavior instead of guiding it, while warning labels without obfuscations (purely reflective) do not exhaust processing capacities but encourage users to actively choose to decrease engagement with attitude-confirming search results. Therefore, given the risks and unclear benefits of obfuscations and potentially other automatic nudging elements to guide engagement with information, we call for prioritizing interventions that aim to enhance human cognitive skills and agency instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the growing availability of online health resources and the widespread use of social media to better understand health conditions, people are increasingly making sense of and managing their health conditions using resources beyond their health professionals and personal networks. However, where the condition is complex and poorly understood, this can involve extensive "patient work" to locate, interpret and test the information available. The overall purpose of this study was to investigate how women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) across two healthcare systems engage with online health resources and social media to better understand this complex and poorly understood lifelong endocrine disorder. Methods: A semi-structured interview study was conducted with women from the US ( N = 8 ) and UK ( N = 7 ) who had been diagnosed with PCOS within the previous five years. Transcribed data was analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis method. Results: We highlight the information needs and information-seeking strategies women use to make sense of how PCOS affects them, to gain emotional support, and to help them find an effective treatment. We also show how women with PCOS use online health and social media resources to compare themselves to women they view as "normal" and other women with PCOS, to find their sense of "normal for me" along a spectrum of this disorder. Conclusion: We draw on previous models of sense-making and finding normal for other complex and sensitive health conditions to capture the nuances of making sense of PCOS. We also discuss implications for the design and use of social media to support people managing PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study is purposed to implement and test a praxeological learning approach to enhance pre-service EFL teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and online information-seeking skills. This study was conducted based on a convergent parallel mixed design involving thirty-seven sophomore pre-service EFL teachers. Multiple data collection tools were administered at the beginning and end of the course, and data were analyzed aligning with quantitative and qualitative methods complementarily. Active and decisive participation of the pre-service teachers shaped the course design following the sections of independent study, context orientation, and context-based study within the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework. Findings showed that pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and online information-seeking strategies of evaluation, selecting main ideas, and trial & error were significantly improved. Praxeological learning, following the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework step-by-step and highlighting context-sensitivity, scaffolded pre-service teachers' knowledge construction cumulatively and provided them with authentic learning experiences. The praxeological learning approach can support long-term motivation for technology integration knowledge and skills acquisition for pre-service teachers' future careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overall, pharmaceutical pictograms seem to improve medication adherence. However, little is known about how warning pictograms (e.g., "do not drive after taking") on medication packages influence patients' information-seeking strategies such as consulting the package insert (PI) to determine other features such as the correct dosage. In this online study, participants (358 students) were presented with three fictitious scenarios (e.g., headache after alcohol consumption; factor scenario) in which medication use would be contraindicated. Each scenario was accompanied by a visual presentation of a medication package that could contain three possible pictogram selections or arrangements (factor warning); some arrangements contained pictograms relevant to the situation represented by the scenario, while others did not. Participants had to decide which dosage of the represented medication they were allowed to take in the given scenario. In making this decision, they could consult the PI or not. Overall, in two out of the three scenarios (driving and pregnancy), medication packages with relevant pictograms resulted in fewer PI consultations but led to more correct dosage decisions ("no pill") than packages with irrelevant pictograms. Pictograms generally played no role in either the review of the PI consultation or dosage decisions in the alcohol scenario. Providing warning-relevant pictograms on medication packages can help people know when they should not take medication even without reading the PI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to outline how search strategies can be systematic, to examine how the searches in recent systematic reviews in prosthodontic and implant-related journals were structured, and to determine whether the search strategies used in those articles were systematic.Materials and Methods: A total of 103 articles published as systematic reviews and indexed in Medline between January 2013 and May 2016 were identified from eight prosthodontic and implant journals and reviewed. The search strategies were considered systematic when they met the following criteria: (1) more than one electronic database was searched, (2) more than one searcher was clearly involved, (3) both text words and indexing terms were clearly included in the search strategy, (4) a hand search of selected journals or reference lists was undertaken, (5) gray research was specifically sought, and (6) the articles were published in English and at least one other language. The data were tallied and qualitatively assessed.Results: The majority of articles reported on implants (54%), followed by tooth-supported fixed prosthodontics (13%). A total of 23 different electronic resources were consulted, including Medline (by 100% of articles), the Cochrane Library (52%), and Embase (37%). The majority consulted more than one electronic resource (71%), clearly included more than one searcher (73%), and employed a hand search of either selected journals or reference lists (86%). Less than half used both text words and indexing terms to identify articles (42%), while 15% actively sought gray research. Articles published in languages other than English were considered in 63 reviews, but only 14 had no language restrictions. Of the 103 articles, 5 completed search strategies that met all 6 criteria, and a further 12 met 5 criteria. Two articles did not fulfill any of the criteria.Conclusion: More than 95% of recent prosthodontic and implant review articles published in the selected journals failed to use search strategies that were systematic, and this undermines the conclusions. Many resources are available to help investigators design search strategies for systematic reviews that minimize the risk of omitting important data, including the simple criteria presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyze the influence of information-seeking, knowledge, and self-sufficiency on Indonesian consumerism behaviour. There were 2.100 data determined by using systematic random sampling. Data analyses applied Structural Equation Modeling using LISREL 8.7. The results confirmed that information-seeking significantly influence consumers’ knowledge. However, consumers’ self-sufficiency did not considerably affect information-seeking. It also revealed a significant positive effect of information-seeking and self-sufficiency toward consumerism behaviour, but no significant impact between consumers’ knowledge and consumerism behaviour. The government and consumer protection institutions need to be more intensive in conducting socialization to increase consumer knowledge and consumerism behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the post-internet era, the Web has become a conventional Medium for information seeking. Due to the pervasive role of the web in information seeking many scholars have studied its different aspects. The purpose of this study is to further extend the scope of information seeking research by examining the role of the characteristics of the Web (e.g., ease of navigation, ease of searching), properties of information (e.g., organization of information, quality of information, amount of information), and demographic factors in information seeking on the Web. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from participants at a regional university. Descriptive as well as inferential statistics were used to analyze the responses. Notable impact of demographics such as gender and age was found in the use of the Web for information seeking. Specifically, it was found that females used the Web for information surfing more than the male participants and also preferred more the availability of information in different media formats. Age was found to be a significant influencer in terms of the importance placed on properties of information (e.g., quality of information) and characterizes of the Web (e.g., ease of search). Contrary to the common perceptions, it was found that as knowledge about computers increased the importance placed on convenience in finding information on the Web decreased. Authoritative offline information sources were still considered highly important in information seeking. The findings of this study will inform research on information seeking and will help information professionals to better facilitate users' seeking of information on the Web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are increasingly demanding access to reliable information regarding their disease. The objective of the INFOSEEK-MS study was to assess what are the strategies people with MS use when searching for information on their disease, including sources, frequency, reliability, and preferred content. Patients and Methods: A non-interventional, cross-sectional study was conducted. Patients with a diagnosis of MS according to the 2010 McDonald criteria were included. The InfoSeek questionnaire was used to assess patients' strategies when seeking information about the disease. Clinical characteristics and other variables, including disability, quality of life, fatigue, cognition, anxiety and depression, were analysed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29), 5-item Modified Fatigue Scale (MFIS-5), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively. Results: Three hundred and two patients were studied (mean age: 42.3 ± 10 years, 64% female, mean disease duration: 9.6 ± 7.0 years, 90% with relapsing-remitting MS, and mean EDSS score: 2.6 ± 1.9). The internet (either via mobile or computer) is a frequently reported source of information. Lifestyle-related information (67.2%), research and emerging treatments (63.6%), symptom control (49.7%), sharing experiences with other patients (46.4%), and disease prognosis (46.4%) were the most searched topics. Neurologists and nurses were the most trusted source of information. Younger patients and higher SDMT scores were associated with all search resources (M = 37.7 and M = 49.97, respectively). The frequency of searches was related to the number of relapses (R2 = 0.07), EDSS (R2 = 0.14), MSIS-29 physical and psychological components (R2 = 0.132) and inversely with depression (R2 = 0.132). Conclusion: Although healthcare professionals are considered the most reliable source of information for people with MS, searching for information on the Internet is very frequent. An individualized information strategy considering the different factors involved is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate allied health and nursing staff's online COVID-19 related information-seeking behavior to prevent COVID-19 infection. METHODOLOGY: This study was cross-sectional research performed from February to May 2020 that surveyed allied health and nursing staff working in healthcare settings, whether full or part-time, of Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Two valid questionnaires, such as preventive behaviors and online COVID-19 related information-seeking behaviors, were used. Multiple logistic models were used to explain the correlation between one dependent binary variable and other variables. RESULTS: 291(94.8%) had good preventive behaviors. 239 (77.9%) of the participants, after getting online health information from the Internet, very often search the obtained data in other books and journals; 240 (78.2%) very often compare the received data with information on other websites; 252 (82.1%) very often consulted with physicians about the obtained information. There was a relationship between online COVID-19 related information-seeking behaviors (Beta = 0.04, 95% CI: 1.02-1.06 and P<0.001) and preventive behaviors. CONCLUSION: Health-care workers use various information-seeking strategies to decrease the chance of finding inaccurate data and misjudging the correct data. This study shows that healthcare workers' behavior to see credible information related to COVID-19 significantly affects their preventive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite university health services' critical role in addressing students' health, students frequently underutilize on-campus healthcare, in part due to uncertainty. This study used Uncertainty Management Theory and 41 interviews with college students and health center staff and providers to uncover the types of health services uncertainty students experienced and how students used communication to manage uncertainty. Students experienced institutional uncertainty pertaining to services, logistics, and quality-of-care. Participants who viewed this uncertainty negatively sought to reduce it via passive- and experiential-information seeking. Students who appraised uncertainty neutrally or positively maintained it by ignoring or avoiding information. Other students increased uncertainty by seeking second opinions. Findings suggest that promoting health services year-round and incentivizing patient referrals may help students manage both uncertainty and their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study seeks to address the question on the role of information-seeking behavior in dealing with uncertainty on workplace health disclosure from the perspectives of internal communication. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was conducted with 409 full-time employees in large-sized companies in the United States. Findings: The results showed that employees engage in proactive and passive information-seeking strategies when they are uncertain about their supervisors' reactions toward their health problems. Positive EOR and organizational climate would increase their intention to adopt inquiry strategy, whereas negative EOR and the climate would increase their intention to adopt monitoring strategy. Employees who adopt inquiry strategy tend to perceive the benefits of health disclosure, whereas those who adopt monitoring strategy tend to perceive the risks of health disclosure. If employees perceived increased benefits in terms of health disclosure, then they tend to disclose their health problems to their supervisors, and vice versa. Originality/value: This study is among first to investigate workplace health disclosure decision-making from the perspectives of internal communication. These findings highlight the importance of excellent internal communications in employees' health disclosure decision-making process and support the proposition that proactive information-seeking is a strategy that contributes to uncertainty management in the workplace. This study also provides significant practical guidelines for corporate communication practitioners and leaders by establishing a safe and friendly environment where employees feel comfortable to disclose their health problems to supervisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We model consumer journeys for user-created programs published in an online programming platform (OPP) and uncover factors that predict their occurrence. We build our model on a theoretical framework where consumer journeys involve three latent stages (Learn, Feel, Do), in which users gather information about, express fondness toward, and try the published items, respectively. Using a dataset from an OPP where users publish multimedia items and follow other users, we find that there is no one dominant consumer journey; instead, the sequences of stages in a journey (e.g., Learn → Feel → Do) vary across published items. Furthermore, we find that the social capital (i.e., social network) of a publisher influences the occurrence of spillover effects between latent stages (the phenomenon that one stage in a period triggers another stage in the next period) for the items posted by the publisher. We also find that a publisher's social capital has only a transient impact on the consumer journeys for the publisher's projects, underlining the importance of consistently making new network connections in order to promote the growth of user activities surrounding the publisher's projects. We apply our findings to the publishers' networking investment decisions to show that publishers' networking investment would be severely suboptimal if journey heterogeneity is not considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated which social media platforms are used as information sources, and for what purposes. It also examined how user characteristics are related to the use of different platforms. A Web-based survey was used to collect data from undergraduate students. Responses from more than 800 students showed that most of the social media platforms are used as information sources, where wikis, user reviews, and media-sharing sites emerged as the top platforms. The purpose of use varied across platforms. T-test and ANOVA results also revealed individual differences. Significant differences in gender, class level, academic discipline, and Big Five personality traits were found in the frequency of information seeking using different platforms and also in the purpose of use. Study findings have implications for information literacy (IL) education and information services. Because many students are actively using social media platforms for a variety of information-seeking purposes, it is suggested that IL programs embrace social media as potential information sources and offer effective strategies for using and evaluating these increasingly popular social media sources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper examines the effect of a social network on prediction markets using a controlled laboratory experiment that allows us to identify causal relationships between a social network and the performance of an individual participant, as well as the performance of the prediction market as a whole. Through a randomized experiment, we first confirm the theoretical predictions that participants with more social connections are less likely to invest in information acquisition from outside information sources, but perform significantly better than other participants in prediction markets. We further show that when the cost of information acquisition is low, a social network-embedded prediction market outperforms a nonnetworked prediction market. We find strong support for peer effects in prediction accuracy among participants. These results have direct managerial implications for the business practice of prediction markets and are critical to understanding how to use social networks to improve the performance of prediction markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scholarly information-seeking process for behavioral research consists of three phases: searching, accessing, and processing of past research. Existing IT artifacts, such as Google Scholar, have in part addressed the searching and accessing phases, but fall short of facilitating the processing phase, creating a knowledge inaccessibility problem. We propose a behavioral ontology learning from text (BOLT) design framework that presents concrete prescriptions for developing systems capable of supporting researchers during their processing of behavioral knowledge. Based upon BOLT, we developed a search engine— TheoryOn—to allow researchers to directly search for constructs, construct relationships, antecedents, and consequents, and to easily integrate related theories. Our design framework and search engine were rigorously evaluated through a series of data mining experiments, a randomized user experiment, and an applicability check. The data mining experiment results lent credence to the design principles prescribed by BOLT. The randomized experiment compared TheoryOn with EBSCOhost and Google Scholar across four information retrieval tasks, illustrating TheoryOn’s ability to reduce false positives and false negatives during the information-seeking process. Furthermore, an in-depth applicability check with IS scholars offered qualitative support for the efficacy of an ontology-based search and the usefulness of TheoryOn during the processing phase of existing research. The evaluation results collectively underscore the significance of our proposed design artifacts for addressing the knowledge inaccessibility problem for behavioral research literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational exit can be turbulent. This study examines the communication surrounding coworker dismissal, including how remaining employees learn about a coworker's dismissal and what predicts remaining employees' information seeking, uncertainty, and perceptions of social costs related to information seeking. Statistical and content analyses were conducted on survey data gathered from 220 participants. Remaining employees most often learned about their coworker's dismissal from another coworker or the remaining employees' immediate supervisor; via individual, face-to-face meetings; with moderate formality; at some point within a day of the dismissal; with varying content. Age predicted uncertainty and perceived social costs of information seeking. Message characteristics predicted uncertainty, while interaction frequency predicted the perceived social costs of information seeking. Uncertainty did not predict information-seeking strategy use. Greater perceived social costs predicted less overt questioning and greater observing and testing. This study extends uncertainty reduction and management theories and offers managers advice about communicating coworker terminations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a study of academic librarians' views of their work and possibilities regarding support for researchers' publishing. Institutional repositories and Open Access are areas being dealt with in particular. Methods used are highly qualitative; data was gathered at two Swedish university libraries over a six month period through focus group interview sessions and personal logs by informants. Findings indicate that attitudes are often in collision with practicalities in the daily work in libraries. Even though they have a high degree of knowledge and awareness of scholarly publication patterns, librarians often feel insecure in the approach of researchers. There is a felt redirection in the focus of academic librarianship, from pedagogical information seeking tasks towards a more active publication support, a change which also includes a regained prominence for new forms of bibliographical work. Although there are some challenges, proactive attitudes among librarians are felt as being important in developing further support for researchers' publishing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study presents findings from one-on-one interviews with 21 undergraduate students at a large public research university in the southeastern United States. While the preliminary focus of the study was to be students' opinions about and use of Wikipedia as a resource for course-related research, many of the interviews evolved into discussion about the relative merits of freely-available web-based resources as compared with subscription databases. In addition to providing illuminating information about respondents' relationships with Wikipedia and Google, these interviews offered an unexpected glimpse into participants' understanding of the nature of information creation, presentation, and retrieval in the free web-based environment. Additionally, respondents provided valuable insight into the question of why some students rely heavily on library resources while others avoid visiting the physical and virtual library. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the ways that students describe how they look for information for a research project. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence was used to theoretically choose the statements that were sorted by the participants to determine the perceptions of the information-seeking process. Using Q methodology as the research strategy, three unique groups were interpreted from the data analysis and labeled Experienced Critiquers (students who compared information found on free Internet resources to databases), Technology Admirers (students who do not distinguish between free Internet resources and databases), and Extrinsic Motivators (students greatly influenced by additional external factors). Although most college students believe they know how to access scholarly information, the frustrations of the process lead many to settle for less scholarly resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article critically reviews and synthesizes the contributions found in theoretical and empirical studies of firm-level innovation search processes. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of local and non-local search, discusses organizational responses, and identifies potential exogenous triggers for different kinds of search. It argues that the initial focus on local search was a consequence, in part, of the attention in evolutionary economics to path-dependent behavior, but that as localized behavior was increasingly accepted as the standard mode, studies began to question whether local search was the best solution in all cases. More recently, the literature has focused on the trade-offs being created, by firms having to balance local and non-local search. We account also for the apparent “variety paradox” in the stylized fact that organizations within the same industry tend to follow different search strategies, but end up with very similar technological profiles in fast-growing technologies. The article concludes by highlighting what we have learnt from the literature and suggesting some new avenues for research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Intervening on causal systems can illuminate their underlying structures. Past work has shown that, relative to adults, young children often make intervention decisions that appear to confirm a single hypothesis rather than those that optimally discriminate alternative hypotheses. Here, we investigated how the ability to make informative causal interventions changes across development. Ninety participants between the ages of 7 and 25 completed 40 different puzzles in which they had to intervene on various causal systems to determine their underlying structures. Each puzzle comprised a three‐ or four‐node computer chip with hidden wires. On each trial, participants viewed two possible arrangements of the chip's hidden wires and had to select a single node to activate. After observing the outcome of their intervention, participants selected a wire configuration and rated their confidence in their selection. We characterized participant choices with a Bayesian measurement model that indexed the extent to which participants selected nodes that would best disambiguate the two possible causal structures versus those that had high causal centrality in one of the two causal hypotheses but did not necessarily discriminate between them. Our model estimates revealed that the use of a discriminatory strategy increased through early adolescence. Further, developmental improvements in intervention strategy were related to changes in the ability to accurately judge the strength of evidence that interventions revealed, as indexed by participants' confidence in their selections. Our results suggest that improvements in causal information‐seeking extend into adolescence and may be driven by metacognitive sensitivity to the efficacy of previous interventions in discriminating competing ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we explore the question of whether there is a genetic basis for people’s different propensities to search for information. Specifically, we test whether the rs1044396 polymorphism—one variation in the cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 4 (CHRNA4) gene—is a reliable predictor of propensity to search for information. A sample of 205 subjects performed an information search task and then donated genetic material, which was analyzed. Using these data we found that the rs1044396 polymorphism is associated with both search duration and the amount of information searched, contributing a genetic explanation for a portion of propensity to search for information. People with the C:C version of rs1044396 gathered 25% more information but spent 13% less time on each piece of information than people with T-alleles before making a decision. Thus, the amount of information that people gather and the temporal cost of gathering that information have a strong genetic component, which has implications for internet search strategies, information use, and information systems design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We employed the risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model to inform the design of antibiotic stewardship messages aiming at influencing intentions to seek or avoid antibiotic risk information. College-age respondents (N = 400) from a national sample viewed one of three versions of a RISP-informed message or no message (control group). Relative to the control group, all RISP-informed messages increased perceptions of information insufficiency. The most complete version of the RISP-informed message increased severity perceptions and information seeking intention and decreased information avoidance intention. Approaches to designing antibiotic stewardship messages are recommended accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the ability to efficiently apply internalised source-culture knowledge when solving cultural translation problems is analysed at different stages of acquisition of the translator's cultural competence by means of a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study. Thirty-eight BA students from the first through fourth year studying Translation and Interpreting at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, as well as ten professional translators participated in this investigation. The subjects' knowledge of German culture and their knowledge of a selection of cultural translation problems in a text were measured prior to its translation. The translation strategies employed by the subjects to solve these problems were recorded and classified using PACTE's (2017b) sequences of actions. The quality of the subjects' solutions to the cultural translation problems of the text was assessed with PACTE's (2017a) acceptability index. These data were combined to compute the source-culture knowledge application index. Results show that the students in all cohorts preferred to utilise information-seeking strategies even when they possessed cultural knowledge about a specific cultural translation problem, while the professional translators in this study were able to apply their internalised source-culture knowledge. The solutions proposed by both the translation students and the professional translators were of a higher quality when internalised source-culture knowledge was applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective search support is an important tool for helping individuals deal with the problem of information overload. This is particularly true in the field of nanotechnology, where information from patents, grants, and research papers is growing rapidly. Guided by cognitive fit and cognitive load theories, we develop an advanced Web-based system, Nano Mapper, to support users' search and analysis of nanotechnology developments. We perform controlled experiments to evaluate the functions of Nano Mapper. We examine users' search effectiveness, efficiency, and evaluations of system usefulness, ease of use, and satisfaction. Our results demonstrate that Nano Mapper enables more effective and efficient searching, and users consider it to be more useful and easier to use than the benchmark systems. Users are also more satisfied with Nano Mapper and have higher intention to use it in the future. User evaluations of the analysis functions are equally positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the methodology and results of a survey studying the information-seeking behavior of philosophy and engineering graduate students at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. The article provides statistical analysis regarding students' self-evaluations of information-seeking abilities and habits, as well as various results from the study's findings, including level of experience with computers, usage of electronic databases, and the ability to retrieve data from search engines. The survey revealed that the difference in engineering and philosophy disciplines did not significantly affect information seeking behavior.

The authors propose a new method to visualize browsing behavior in so-called product search maps. Manufacturers can use these maps to understand how consumers search for competing products before choice, including how information acquisition and product search are organized along brands, product attributes, and price-related search strategies. The product search maps also inform manufacturers about the competitive structure in the industry and the contents of consumer consideration sets. The proposed method defines a product search network, consisting of the products and links that designate whether a product is searched conditional on searching other products. The authors model this network using a stochastic, hierarchical, and asymmetric multidimensional scaling framework and decompose the product locations as well as the product-level influences using product attributes. The advantages of the approach are twofold. First, the authors simultaneously visualize the positions of products and the direction of consumer search over products in a perceptual map of search proximity. Second, they explain the formation of the map using observed product attributes. The authors empirically apply their approach to consumer search of digital camcorders at Amazon.com and provide several managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic libraries are increasingly collecting e-books, but little research has investigated how students use e-books compared to print texts. This study used a prompted think-aloud method to gain an understanding of the information retrieval behavior of students in both formats. Qualitative analysis identified themes that will inform instruction and collection practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The InfoliTrans Test is a portal designed to analyze, explore, and improve information competence among students of higher education, using the field of Translation and Interpretation for this pilot project. The methodology, based on the best international practices and experiences, and its specifications are detailed. From a practical standpoint, the interactive tool enables the user not only to measure his or her different information capacities and aptitudes but also to diagnose and resolve problems detected in the development of the student's informational training. This is an instrument for analysis and evaluation but also for resolving problems related to the search, treatment, assessment, and dissemination of information, and therefore it constitutes a tool for training in information skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the notion of information illiteracy in relation to doctoral students' information literacy activities. Findings from a qualitative study of the doctoral literature review process portray learners as competent, rather than information illiterate, even though they may not have received information literacy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians have historically been responsible for the organization and management of the stores of human knowledge and for ensuring information literacy among researchers. In recent years, however, librarians have been removed from researchers and the research process for a variety of reasons. The problem that was addressed in this study is that librarians do not have sufficient information about the research practices and preferences of doctoral students enrolled in distance programs. The purpose of this study was to gain information about the differences in research behaviors and preferences among doctoral students in distance and residential programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faceted browsing is a common feature of new library catalog interfaces. But to what extent does it improve user performance in searching within today's library catalog systems? This article reviews the literature for user studies involving faceted browsing and user studies of "next-generation" library catalogs that incorporate faceted browsing. Both the results and the methods of these studies are analyzed by asking, What do we currently know about faceted browsing? How can we design better studies of faceted browsing in library catalogs? The article proposes methodological considerations for practicing librarians and provides examples of goals, tasks, and measurements for user studies of faceted browsing in library catalogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of an exploratory study asking faculty in the first-year writing program and instruction librarians about their research process focusing on results specifically related to serendipity. Steps to prepare for serendipity are highlighted as well as a model for incorporating serendipity into a first-year writing course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study examines whether undergraduate students will play games to learn how to conduct library research. Results indicate that students will play games that are an integral component of the course curriculum and enable them to accomplish overall course goals at the same time they learn about library research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an empirically-grounded framework for mediating the everyday-life information worlds of youth aged 9-13. "Tweens" are a sandwiched population with behaviors, circumstances, and needs distinct from children and young adults. Little research has addressed their information-seeking, especially regarding nonschool contexts. Thus, empirically-based conceptual tools are needed to help professionals in mediating the complex information worlds of tweens. Guided by multiple frameworks (Dervin's sense-making, Fisher's information grounds, and Chatman's normative behavior), data were collected using the "Tween Day" technique, involving scenario-based focus groups and interviews with thirty-four youth in three distinct settings. The study aimed at understanding the situations for which tweens seek everyday information; which sources they use, and why; what social settings foster information-sharing, and how; and what factors (especially affective) promote or hinder information-seeking. Using these findings, the proposed professional service framework contains five descriptive principles for mediating everyday-life information-seeking and information use by tweens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an exploratory study investigating the use of wikis in academic libraries. Reasons for using and not using wikis, level of control exerted on wikis users and perceived benefits and costs of using wikis are the major areas examined. Sixty universities were selected to complete either survey 1 or survey 2, depending on their usage of wikis at the time the study was conducted. Telephone interviews were conducted for those libraries from whom there were no email replies. The response rate reached 80%. Sixteen (33.3%) used wikis for work, four (8.3%) used wikis in experimental stages, 13 (27.1%) were potential users who planned to use wikis and 15 (31.3%) did not plan to use wikis at all. The advantageous features of wikis were found to be the main reasons for their use. MediaWiki is the most commonly adopted wiki software in university libraries, and the level of control is closely related to the reasons for wiki use. Despite the fact that costs are incurred in creating wikis, current users found that the benefits outweigh the costs. It is hoped that this study can provide insights for making informed decisions in applying wikis in academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the e-print depositing behavior of physicists and astronomers. Fifty-six PhD students and staff at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University College London were interviewed. A survey was also carried out (47.1% response rate). The study investigates the relation between variables such as research area, type of research (theoretical, experimental and so on), and the amount of reading on the patterns of e-print depositing. The findings showed that clear intradisciplinary differences exist among different subfields of physics and astronomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the applications and importance of content-based information retrieval technology in digital libraries. It generalizes the process and analyzes current examples in four areas of the technology. Content-based information retrieval has been shown to be an effective way to search for the type of multimedia documents that are increasingly stored in digital libraries. As a good complement to traditional text-based information retrieval technology, content-based information retrieval will be a significant trend for the development of digital libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faculty and students at University College London (UCL) were polled online in November 2006 as part of a wider investigation into the impact of e-books in UK higher education. One of the survey questions probed the strategies that members of the academic community use to identify the conventional printed books that they need for work, study, or leisure. This article reports on a quasi-experimental statistical investigation of the survey findings for this single question. Multivariate data analysis suggests that book discovery is very highly structured, with gender, subject discipline, and academic status offering powerful predictors of certain underlying behavioural strategies. A model of book discovery strategies is developed and this is used to help segment the survey population into those with high or low levels of dependence on formal library systems or nonlibrary-based solutions. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the practical implications of these findings for librarians, publishers, and booksellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the information needs of young university researchers, an observational study was performed at three universities in Stockholm, Sweden. The observations revealed that most of the researchers used Google for everything, that they were confident that they could manage on their own, and that they relied heavily on immediate access to electronic information. They had very little contact with the library, and little knowledge about the value librarian competence could add. One important conclusion of the project is that librarians have to leave the library building and start working in the research environment, as well as putting some thought into the fact that library use is considered complicated, but Google (etc.) is easy. The findings of this project will influence changes in library services in both near and in a more distant future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research demonstrates the positive effects of moment-to-moment entertainment and the negative effects of moment-to-moment information value on consumers' likelihood to continue watching during a television commercial. A notable finding is that both the entertainment and the information value have a strong multiplicative effect on the probability to stop viewing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from surveys of automobile buyers collected in 1990 and 2000 in a natural experiment setting, the authors study the determinants of use of the Internet as a source of information on automobiles, its impact on the use of other sources, and its impact on total search effort. The results indicate that the Internet draws attention in approximately the same proportion from other sources. The results also show that those who use the Internet to search for automobiles are younger and more educated and search more in general. However, the analysis also indicates that they would have searched even more if the Internet had not been present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]