As part of the study of human information search strategy the concept of the search tactic, or move made to further a search, is introduced. Twenty-nine tactics are named, defined, and discussed, and implications of search tactics for research in search strategy are considered. (Author/MBR)

Investigates changes in perceptions of the information search process of an early career information professional as he becomes more experienced and proficient at his work. Building on earlier research, comparisons of user's perceptions of uncertainty, complexity, construction, and sources in information tasks were made over a five-year period.…

The question of how a scholar can be induced to take advantage of computer technology and capabilities in his search for information is the subject of this paper. Students accept on-line bibliographic searching more readily than research workers. (6 references (Author/SJ)

Discussion of the information search process (ISP) from the user's perspective focuses on a model of the ISP derived from longitudinal studies of high school and college students. Cognitive and affective aspects of the ISP are discussed, and their implications for future research are suggested. (31 references) (LRW)

Reviews the origins of post-coordinate searching and emphasizes that the focal point should be on the searcher, not on the item being indexed. Highlights include the history of the term information retrieval; edge notched punch cards; the "peek-a-boo" system; the Uniterm system; and using computers to search for information. (LRW)

Explores the theory of psychological relevance and its relationship to information retrieval, and provides an extended example. Topics discussed include information need, the search process, the nature of information, topical relevance, relevance judgments and retrieval testing, information retrieval and bibliometrics, and suggestions for further…

Reports on a research project that investigated seventh grade science students' cognitive, affective, and physical behaviors as they used the Yahooligans! search engine to find information on a specific search task. Describes measurement techniques that included software, interviews, and questionnaires, and discusses implications for user training…

This article surveys questions concerning the need for education and training of qualified information professionals in developing countries. Highlights include concept of development and information, search of relevance, settings (continuing education, library schools, education abroad), implementation (contents, faculty, facilities, and…

Discusses search requests in information retrieval systems and describes the development of an algorithm for the automatic construction of query formulations in Boolean form. Topics discussed include user needs, information retrieval languages, online systems, design requirements for the algorithm, and algorithmic functioning in information…

Reports on study that used set of measures for characterizing performance with different databases and set of hypotheses for predicting search difficulties based on cognitive processes involved in decision-making aspects of information search. Highlights include confidence assessment, system design criteria, transparency, metatransparency, and…

Explores scientific inquiry as philosophical and behavioral model for online search specialist and information retrieval process. Nature of scientific research is described and online analogs to research concepts of variable, hypothesis formulation and testing, operational definition, validity, reliability, assumption, and cyclical nature of…

Examines statistical techniques for exploiting relevance information to weight search terms. These techniques are presented as a natural extension of weighting methods using information about the distribution of index terms in documents in general. (Author)

Discusses the design of multiversion information retrieval systems and provides a theoretical justification for the necessity of creating such systems to perform an optimal search for the user's information needs. Topics discussed include comparing query formulations; feedback algorithms; an experiment with a test collection; and the mechanism of…

During the past 10 years, online searching has moved from libraries into homes and offices, creating a group called end-user searchers who access online databases and perform search operations for finding information for their own use. Probable increase in end-user searching has significant implications for vendors and for intermediaries. (25…

Discusses the variety of performance measures available for information retrieval systems, search engines, and network filtering agents. Considers how measures of performance at a point in a search can be formally compared, develops criteria related to document orderings, and discusses equivalent ordering and precision and recall. (Author/LRW)