Abstract
In this work we study how people navigate the information network of Wikipedia and investigate (i) free-form navigation by studying all clicks within the English Wikipedia over an entire month and (ii) goal-directed Wikipedia navigation by analyzing wikigames, where users are challenged to retrieve articles by following links. To study how the organization of Wikipedia articles in terms of layout and links affects navigation behavior, we first investigate the characteristics of the structural organization and of hyperlinks in Wikipedia and then evaluate link selection models based on article structure and other potential influences in navigation, such as the generality of an article's topic. In free-form Wikipedia navigation, covering all Wikipedia usage scenarios, we find that click choices can be best modeled by a bias towards article structure, such as a tendency to click links located in the lead section. For the goal-directed navigation of wikigames, our findings confirm the zoom-out and the homing-in phases identified by previous work, where users are guided by generality at first and textual similarity to the target later. However, our interpretation of the link selection models accentuates that article structure is the best explanation for the navigation paths in all except these initial and final stages. Overall, we find evidence that users more frequently click on links that are located close to the top of an article. The structure of Wikipedia articles, which places links to more general concepts near the top, supports navigation by allowing users to quickly find the better-connected articles that facilitate navigation. Our results highlight the importance of article structure and link position in Wikipedia navigation and suggest that better organization of information can help make information networks more navigable.
Highlights
Much of human knowledge and expertise resides in networks, such as the World Wide Web, Wikipedia, scientific citation networks, and, increasingly, user-generated content on social media
For the Wikipedia clickstream, links in the lead sections and infoboxes lead to articles with a higher generality in all of the three measures
These results show that links towards the top of an article tend to lead to more general articles. (a) Indegree (Wikipedia), (b) View Count (Wikipedia), (c) N-Grams (Wikipedia), (d) Indegree (Wikispeedia), (e) View Count (Wikispeedia) and (f) N-Grams (Wikispeedia)
Summary
Much of human knowledge and expertise resides in networks, such as the World Wide Web, Wikipedia, scientific citation networks, and, increasingly, user-generated content on social media. Finding relevant information in these networks, even as. They become larger and more complex, is key to our continued ability to innovate, grow, and prosper. Information needs are generally dynamic and evolving (e.g. as modeled by Berrypicking Bates, 1989 or Information Scent Chi et al, 2001), and knowledge gained during the navigation process can put information in context and help with decision-making (Marchionini, 2006). For a large encyclopedia such as Wikipedia, possible navigation scenarios generally can span a large range, from goal-directed navigation to following a link to learn more about a certain concept, to explorative search and many more
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
