Reviews previous work on producing knowledge by the use of information retrieval or classification schemes, and describes techniques by which hidden knowledge may be retrieved, i.e., serendipity in browsing and use of appropriate search strategies. Possible future methods based on relational indexing or artificial intelligence are also explored.…

Duality is an important topic in informetrics, often less studied in information retrieval where it relates to the unification or symmetry of queries and documents, search formulation versus indexing, and relevant versus retrieved documents. This article examines duality in information retrieval and highlights its connection with hypergeometric…

Describes the development and evaluation of a new classification system for fiction which is based on an analysis of users' formulations of needs. Problems of concept identification (author's intention, citation order, vocabulary control, and choice of access terms) are highlighted. Examples of questions used in retrieval tests and 20 references…

Discusses information retrieval techniques involving both Boolean retrieval schemes and a weighting mechanism to produce ranked search output and points out theoretical ambiguities and inconsistencies demonstrated by recent research. An alternative search approach is outlined and analyzed and a more rigorous methodology is suggested. Eleven…

Explains the Web impact factor (WIF) for comparing the relative attractiveness or influence of Web spaces, where the WIF is the number of pages linking to a Web space divided by the number of pages in the Web space. Compares WIFs for Australasian universities and for Australasian electronic journals. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of online public access catalogs focuses on a study that evaluated 3 different systems in Great Britain. Comparative evaluations were made using structured exercises to determine searching techniques and transaction logs to investigate user behavior. Comments on future research are also given. (12 references) (LRW)

Summarizes empirical results reported earlier on relations between students' problem stages (mental model) in writing research proposals for a masters' thesis and the information sought, choice of search terms, and relevance assessments; refines Kuhlthau's model of the information search process; and proposes a theory of a task-based information…

This report considers the effects of new technology (online search services) on user access to information; the role of libraries in providing such access; the structure of a future national information network in the United Kingdom; and general managerial considerations. Seventeen references are cited. (EJS)

An online library catalog was used to evaluate an interactive query expansion facility based on relevance feedback for the Okapi, probabilistic, term weighting, retrieval system. A graphical user interface allowed searchers to select candidate terms extracted from relevant retrieved items to reformulate queries. Results suggested that the…

Considers classifications produced by application of single linkage, complete linkage, group average, and word clustering methods to Keen and Cranfield document test collections, and studies structure of hierarchies produced, extent to which methods distort input similarity matrices during classification generation, and retrieval effectiveness…

Reports experimental results of a study of the cognitive aspects of information retrieval which focused on user interaction with document organization, user-librarian negotiation, and the librarian's search procedure. Related studies, the cognitive viewpoint, and experimental design and analysis methods are discussed. Forty-two sources are listed.…

Describes a study at the City University (London) that was conducted to evaluate the impact of an online catalog on subject searching behavior. Methods of using the catalog and browsing at the shelves are examined, and results are compared with an earlier study of subject searching with a manual PRECIS index. (25 references) (LRW)

Discusses the design of interfaces for online systems and suggests requirements that must be met to offer maximum aid to inexperienced users. Highlights include the online search process, user data, query processing, database descriptors, semantic links, multilingual processing, search strategies, and distributed systems. A 20-page bibliography…

Explores the concepts of interaction and interactivity presented in different theoretical models in the fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and information-seeking/searching behavior, and relates these to information retrieval (IR) research. Suggests that interaction in HCI is primarily concerned with establishing a user/system dialogue at…

Reports on methodology and results of design study for an interactive information retrieval system funded by British Library Research and Development Department which will determine structural representations of anomalous states of knowledge (ASKs) underlying information needs. Problem statements, abstracts used, and text analysis are highlighted.…