Information Seeking Process Research Articles

Interfaces for Searching and Triaging Large Document Sets: An Ontology-Supported Visual Analytics Approach

We investigate the design of ontology-supported, progressively disclosed visual analytics interfaces for searching and triaging large document sets. The goal is to distill a set of criteria that can help guide the design of such systems. We begin with a background of information search, triage, machine learning, and ontologies. We review research on the multi-stage information-seeking process to distill the criteria. To demonstrate their utility, we apply the criteria to the design of a prototype visual analytics interface: VisualQUEST (Visual interface for QUEry, Search, and Triage). VisualQUEST allows users to plug-and-play document sets and expert-defined ontology files within a domain-independent environment for multi-stage information search and triage tasks. We describe VisualQUEST through a functional workflow and culminate with a discussion of ongoing formative evaluations, limitations, future work, and summary.

Pregnancy-related health information behaviour of Estonian women

PurposeThis study aims to increase the understanding of the pregnancy-related information behavior (IB) of pregnant women in Estonia.Design/methodology/approachThe research involved a quantitative research methodology consisting of a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was collected from pregnant Estonian women through a self-administered Web-based questionnaire using a convenience sampling during the period from January to February 2019. A total of 300 pregnant women answered the questionnaire. The data were analysed using statistical analysis and the results of the study were compared with the results of previous studies.FindingsThe three topics on which information was most frequently sought were: fetal development, use of medicines during pregnancy and symptoms of pregnancy. The main sources of information were the internet and the midwife. The most reliable and valuable source of information was a midwife. Health-related information was sought mainly because it helped women make decisions related to pregnancy and childbirth. A number of factors facilitate the information seeking process. In addition, widespread access to the internet and technological skills facilitated IB. The following factors hindered the search for information: the controversy and/or ambiguity of information published on the internet and the time spent searching for information. Most women used wearable technologies during pregnancy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has several limitations. First, the weakness of online surveys is the potential lack of representativeness, as it excludes from the survey those who do not have access to or ability to use the internet for various reasons (Evans and Mathur, 2005; Limbu et al., 2021). Second, as most recruitment for the study took place online, there was a risk that those who did not use the internet could be excluded from the survey. Third, as the questionnaire was also shared in the Facebook news feed by the Women’s Clinic and Maternity Hospital of the East Tallinn Central Hospital, it may be that the respondents recruited through it more often used the support provided by medical professionals. Fourth, due to the volume limits of the study, it is not possible to present all the results of the study on the basis of socio-demographic characteristics and stage of pregnancy. Therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to the broader population and future studies should explore a larger and more representative populations.Practical implicationsThis study will give some useful information to help to improve the services offered for pregnant women in Estonia.Social implicationsThe findings of this study may inform how to better support this target group.Originality/valueThere is a lack of research in Estonia that focuses on the IB of pregnant women and this research fills this gap.

The Effects of COVID-19 Risk Perception on Travel Intention: Evidence From Chinese Travelers.

This study attempts to assess the relationship between risk perception, risk knowledge, and travel intentions of Chinese leisure travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the framework of social contagion and risk communication theories by analyzing a sample of 1,209 travelers through structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis. We used the process macro of Hayes to analyze the moderation effects of age, gender, and education between risk perception, media and interpersonal communication, and risk knowledge. It was found that travelers were more concerned about self-efficacy than severity. Risk perception of travelers predicts the information-seeking process of tourists. This process helps travelers to accumulate risk information that influences their travel intentions. Travelers give more importance to interpersonal (contagion) communication in making a traveling decision. Demographic factors influence traveling decision-making; women travelers were found to be more risk resilient than men. Young travelers seek information at low- and old travelers at high-risk levels. Marketing implications also provided.

Diaries of lifelong learners: Information seeking behaviors of older adults in peer-learning study groups at an academic institution

Although not much has been written about older adults' use of academic libraries, they experience challenges navigating these considerable physical and online library spaces. Members of a university lifelong learning community were recruited for a 10-week diary study. They were asked to record their real-time information seeking behaviors related to their study groups, and the challenges they faced looking for or using information. They were also asked to rate their enjoyment to determine whether the joy of engaging in community learning extends to the information seeking process. Findings from sixteen diarists show that they sought information primarily on a specific topic, person, or book. They used a variety of resources but found books and periodicals most useful. They struggled with trust, technology, time management, library anxiety, information overload and dissemination. With increased understanding, librarians can be better equipped to reach older adults that are doing scholarly research and contribute to their success.

The information trust formation process for informal caregivers of people with dementia: a qualitative study

PurposeThis paper provides new insights on trust formation during information-seeking processes of informal caregivers of people with dementia and identifies the sources of information deemed as trustworthy by caregivers.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a phenomenological qualitative approach in the form of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of 20 informal caregivers.FindingsCaregivers trust sources that are perceived as authoritative and particularly value the information and advice provided by other caregivers. Trust in information can be divided into subjective and objective, but both are important precursors to the actual use of the information. The information available to caregivers is sufficient in quantity but inadequate in terms of ease of use, clarity and usefulness. Often, some key information needs remain unsatisfied due to the lack of timeliness, relevance and personalisation of the information.Practical implicationsThis paper provides recommendations for information and healthcare providers on how to improve communication and information relevance for informal caregivers of people with dementia.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a more comprehensive perspective on caregivers’ information trust formation processes, which takes into account both the characteristics of the information and caregivers’ individual factors.

Digital Literacy for Electronic Encyclopedias

The purpose of this research was to examine the information-seeking processes employed by junior high school students from Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada when using CD-ROM encyclopedias. The study revealed that participants needed both instruction and practice to develop the skills and strategies needed for fall-text searching of CD-ROM encyclopedias. The participants tended to use search terms only from the original question, had difficulty selecting topics and articles from the retrieved list, and did not read long articles as carefully as short articles. Instruction related to information-- seeking skills and strategies should focus on generating search terms, selecting topics from a retrieved list, and, skimming and scanning through text to find the answer.

The Information Search Process of English Language Learner (ELL) Students in a Guided Inquiry Project

This study seeks to understand the information-to-knowledge experience of English Language Learner (ELL) students in a Guided Inquiry project undertaken by the librarian and subject teachers. As a pilot study, it provides an in-depth examination of two Korean 11th grade students in a biology class of a high school in New Jersey, U.S. During the project, data were collected through questionnaire, surveys, search journals, search sessions, observation, students’ papers, and interviews. The findings of this study will facilitate the understanding on the information seeking and knowledge construction process of ELL students so that school environments, including school libraries, can provide meaningful instructional and service interventions for them.

Investigation of the Information-Seeking Behavior of Hospitalized Patients at the General Hospital of Corfu

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to investigate the information-seeking behavior of hospitalized patients in a peripheral hospital in Greece, based on Wilson’s theoretical model. After a thorough literature review, we report on the results of a cross-sectoral sur\\vey that was conducted based on Wilson’s macro-model of information-seeking behavior. The survey exploits the feedback we obtained from 150 hospitalized patients in the General Hospital of Corfu island in Greece. For the feedback collection, we relied on a structured questionnaire that was distributed to patients and correlates information-seeking behavior of hospitalized patients’ clinical data and eHealth Literacy. According to our findings, the most commonly recorded factors that pertain to information needs of hospitalized patients relate to treatment information, procedural information as well as information about the patients’ rights and support. The main information sources to which patients turn for receiving information are digital scientific sources, health professionals, other patients, insurance funds, family members and friends and the media. Concerning the most frequent obstacles associated with the information-seeking process, these account primarily to individual, interpersonal and environmental factors. Finally, the research came to a conclusion with the adaptation of Wilson’s theoretical model to hospitalized patients by confirming the original-initial model. The findings of our survey reveal the necessity to equip hospital units with adequate staff and to develop programs that offer updated information services to the hospitalized population. Moreover, our survey suggests that the availability of advanced health-related information services can empower the general population toward establishing e-Health literacy skills as well as toward increasing their level of satisfaction from the quality of the health services offered. In this direction, a clinical librarian program would empower hospitals worldwide to make their patients literate about health-related information.

Capturing changing user goals in information seeking process using information behavioral grammar model

Capturing changing user goals in information seeking process using information behavioral grammar model

TheoryOn: A Design Framework and System for Unlocking Behavioral Knowledge Through Ontology Learning

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.

A process-based approach to exploring the information behavior of informal caregivers of people living with dementia

Introduction and purposeInformal caregivers of persons living with dementia have significant unmet information needs that, if met, would better equip them to provide effective care. Despite the existence of health information technologies, websites, resources, and organizations dedicated to dementia caregiving, caregivers continue to report unmet information needs. Caregivers’ continued unmet information needs suggest a misalignment between information products, and caregivers’ information behavior—how caregivers generate, acquire, manage, use, communicate, and seek information. Researchers have developed conceptual models for understanding caregivers’ information behavior, but these models are limited in that they are task-oriented, and they assume that caregivers’ information needs will be met if they engage in information behavior. To address these limitations, the present study sought to explore caregivers’ information behavior as a sociotechnical-systems-based process. MethodsWe conduced semi-structured interviews with 30 self-identified caregivers to explore their daily experience of caregiving activities, including their information behavior. We applied a process-based conceptual framework that takes into account inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback mechanisms within a sociotechnical system to guide analysis. The process of interest was caregivers’ information behavior as modeled by the information-seeking and communication model (ISCM). We conducted a deductive content analysis guided by the components of the ISCM. We then used team-based affinity diagramming to collapse and categorize the ISCM components into inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback. ResultsWe developed a conceptual model to depict caregivers’ information behavior as a sociotechnical-systems-based process of inputs, processes, and outputs that feedback into the system. The conceptual model consisted of three inputs (i.e., information users, information providers, and information products), three information seeking and communication processes (i.e., information access, information interaction, and information assessment and processing), two outputs (i.e., utility and credibility), and feedback. Discussion and conclusionBuilding on and addressing the gaps in previous information behavior models, our conceptual framework advances the previous task-level understandings of caregivers’ information behavior into a comprehensive feedback-driven, process-level perspective consisting of context-based inputs, information seeking and communication processes, outputs, and feedback. A sociotechnical-systems-based understanding of caregivers’ information behavior allows for misalignments between information providers and products, and caregivers’ information behavior not only to be illuminated, but systematically addressed.

Search engines and the sex education information practices of LGBTQ+ youth

AbstractOnline resources are vital to the health information practices of LGBTQ+ youth, especially when finding information related to sex education topics. As LGBTQ+ youth use the internet, particularly Google Search, to meet their sex and sexual health information needs, it is important to understand both the information practices related to this unique search experience and how the affordances of this particular search engine impact the information seeking process. The goal of this project is to study the online information practices of LGBTQ+ youth when searching for sex education information, specifically perceptions of and interactions with search engines. Using semi‐structured interviews, we ask LGBTQ+ youth to discuss their information practices related to sex education information and use Google Search to answer sample questions related to sex and sexual health. In this work in progress poster, we discuss our theoretical framing, methods, and preliminary results.

Impact of cultural and religious literacy: Implications for information literacy

AbstractToday, more than ever, there is an abundance of information and points of access that can complicate the information seeking process, even in religious communities and cultures. People are overwhelmed with information and tend to seek information from those they trust; consequently, individuals are oftentimes blindly trusting these sources. It is important, therefore, to create awareness of misinformation in religious communities/cultures, including ways it can be spread, and the role of critical thinking as a defense against it. This study looks to examine the relation of information literacy within religiously enforced cultures.

Health Information Seeking as a Coping Strategy to Reduce Alzheimer’s Caregivers’ Stress

ABSTRACT Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia (referred to as AD) deteriorate over time, and there will likely be a corresponding increase in levels of burden and stress for caregivers. Despite the significant contributions made by informal caregivers, there are no widely available mechanisms that meet the information needs of informal caregivers. Using a qualitative approach, the current study focuses on AD caregiver information seeking. The study involved conducting interviews to answer the following research questions: (1) What motivating factors lead informal caregivers of people with AD to seek out information?; (2) Is there a relationship between information seeking and resulting perceived stress levels?; and (3) Why do informal caregivers choose to utilize certain resources more than others during their information seeking process? Findings revealed that caregivers’ largest motivation for seeking information is to learn how to better care for their loved one. Caregivers tend to rely on mediated resources that they find credible, and interpersonal resources such as people with similar experiences to their own. Many participants were satisfied with information available, but others felt that their interactions with healthcare professionals created more stress and emotional anguish than anticipated. This study offers an initial step in finding ways to meet the needs of those who seek to mitigate their stress through information seeking. By studying the information needs of the caregiving population, healthcare workers and communicators will be more knowledgeable about the relationship between information seeking and stress and coping.

Relationship between Users’ Past Experience and Cognitive Factors that Influence Information Seeking: A Case Study of Graduate Students in Nairobi, Kenya

Background: Previous studies have not sufficiently explained what triggers users to use or avoid using reference information service. They have not identified the different factors that trigger information seeking. The studies have suggested that users’ past experience as a variable may be useful for better understanding the cognitive and social background of human information processing and may have important implications in information seeking process. Objective: There is need to investigate the relationship between users’ past experience and cognitive information seeking behavior as thiscan help information system design. Method: To develop the variables, Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation was used. A descriptive survey method was used to study a sample size of 384 students. Results: Results showed evidence that expectancy theory can be used to explain students’ information seeking behavior. Depending on the users’ experience, their perception of service quality, need satisfaction and personal competencies, students would seek or avoid using the library in the future. Conclusion: Cognitive information seeking process can be influenced by user-centric service. Users’ past experiences, their perception of service quality, need satisfaction and personal competencies are major factors in deciding on using or avoid using the library in the future. The findings support the idea that understanding cognitive information behavior can help University libraries to plan appropriate services. The implications of this study are that there are key cognitive drivers such as user past experiences that trigger users’ information seeking behavior in Academic libraries.

AQtpUIR: Adaptive query term proximity based user information retrieval

Information-seeking process primarily relies on the relevance manifestation and usually based on term statistics. Document-term statistics are dominant, e.g. term-frequency (TF), inverse document frequency (IDF), document length (DL), etc. Query Term Proximity (QTP) is mostly under-explored for the relevance estimation in the information retrieval. In this paper, we systematically review the lineage of the notion of QTP and proposed a novel framework for relevance estimation. The proposed framework is referred as Adaptive QTP based User Information Retrieval (AQtpUIR), is intended to promote the relevant documents. Here, the relevance estimation is a weighted combination of statistics. The notions ‘term-term query proximity’ is a simple aggregation of contextual aspects of user search in relevance estimates and query formation. Intuitively, QTP is derived via pre-processing, inherent to indexing and text-processing, and utilized to promote the extracted documents among all retrieved documents. Thus also balance the exploitation-exploration tradeoff. The adaption of QTP balance the traditional retrieval tradeoff, e.g. relevance, novelty, result diversity (Coverage and Topicality), and highlight various inherent challenges and issue of the proposed work.

Gender and cognitive factors influencing information seeking of graduate students at Kenyatta University Library

Background: Gender has been identified as a possible influencing factor in users’ information-seeking process. Previous studies have alluded to the fact that gender as a variable may be useful for a better understanding of the cognitive and social background of human information processing and may have important implications in the information-seeking process. Although a number of studies have investigated gender, amongst other variables, as having an effect on the information-seeking process of users, no attempt has been made to investigate the relationship between gender and cognitive factors on the information-seeking patterns of graduate students of Kenyatta University Library. Objective: The study investigates gender and cognitive factors influencing the information-seeking process of graduate students at Kenyatta University Library. Methodology: To achieve this objective, the study developed a theoretical framework which can be used by academic libraries as a basis for implementing both digital and reference desk services in order to meet the dynamic user needs. The study then investigated whether there were any gender differences through the correlation coefficient in the context of expectancy theory. The motivational process amongst the male and female users was then examined to establish whether there was any difference. Results: This study found no gender difference in all the variables considered, including interaction service quality, outcome (need satisfaction,) service satisfaction, users’ performance of service, past experience, expectancy and effort. Conclusion: This study found no gender difference in all the variables investigated. The implication of the findings was that there is no need for mainstreaming gender in service programming in the library service.

Wie informieren sich die Menschen in Deutschland zum Thema Gesundheit? Erkenntnisse aus der ersten Welle von HINTS Germany

ZusammenfassungHintergrundDie dynamischen Entwicklungen im Gesundheitssystem gehen mit einer aktiveren und stärker partizipativen Patientenrolle einher, in der Patient*innen als informierte Entscheider*innen ihre Versorgung mitgestalten. In diesem Zuge gewinnt das gesundheitsbezogene Informationshandeln an Bedeutung, jedoch wird es bislang nicht systematisch erfasst. Der Health Information National Trends Survey Germany (HINTS Germany) schließt diese Lücke.MethodikHINTS Germany wurde als telefonische Befragung einer Stichprobe von N = 2902 Personen durchgeführt. Der Fragebogen beinhaltet diverse Aspekte der Suche nach und Nutzung von Gesundheitsinformationen, der Versorgung, des Gesundheitszustands und -verhaltens.ErgebnisseDie ersten Erkenntnisse belegen, dass es regionale und geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede im Gesundheitsinformationshandeln gibt. Etwa jede vierte befragte Person berichtet von Problemen bei der Informationssuche. Die meistgenutzten Informationsquellen sind Ärzt*innen und anderes medizinisches Fachpersonal sowie das Internet, wobei Ärzt*innen das mit Abstand größte Vertrauen entgegengebracht wird.DiskussionDer eher seltene Zugriff auf das Internet als primäre Quelle korrespondiert mit dem geringeren Vertrauen, das die Befragten in das Internet als Quelle für Gesundheitsinformationen legen, was auch aus anderen Studien bekannt ist. Dies sollte jedoch nicht darüber hinwegtäuschen, dass das Internet als ergänzende Quelle einen hohen Stellenwert haben kann, also in Kombination mit anderen Informationen genutzt wird, beispielsweise nach einem Arztbesuch. HINTS Germany bietet eine für die erwachsene Bevölkerung in Deutschland repräsentative Datengrundlage, mit der die Bedeutung der Gesundheitsinformationssuche für gesundheitsbezogene Einstellungen und Verhaltensweisen differenziert analysiert werden kann.

Model Literasi Informasi Pengajar Dalam Mengembangkan Model Kecerdasan Ruang Visual (Spatial Intelligence): Studi pada para peserta bimbingan belajar Villa Merah Bandung

This study aims to determine the information literacy patterns of the instructors in developing models of visual space intelligence. This research was conducted at the learning center “Villa Merah” Bandung. The focus of this study includes the views of the teacher’s views on information literacy and the teacher’s literacy pattern in the information seeking process. The method used in this study uses qualitative research with a type of case study research. The technique of collecting data is done through observation, interviews and through library research. Based on the results of the study, it is known that the instructors in tutoring at Villa Merah Bandung are still inaccurate in understanding what is really meant by literacy. Whereas regarding the pattern of literacy if it is associated with the stages of information retrieval based on the big six model such as the stages of problem formulation and identification, strategy formulation, determination of location and access to information, stages of use, selection and synthesis stages and evaluation stages in general the instructors in seeking information has carried out the stages of information retrieval.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of an Extended Planned Risk Information Seeking Model on Mental Health Among College Students: Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundApproximately 42.5 million adults have been affected by mental illness in the United States in 2013, and 173 million people have been affected by a diagnosable psychiatric disorder in China. An increasing number of people tend to seek health information on the Web, and it is important to understand the factors associated with individuals’ mental health information seeking. Identifying factors associated with mental health information seeking may influence the disease progression of potential patients. The planned risk information seeking model (PRISM) was developed in 2010 by integrating multiple information seeking models including the theory of planned behavior. Few studies have replicated PRISM outside the United States and no previous study has examined mental health as a personal risk in different cultures. ObjectiveThis study aimed to test the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM) in China and the United States with a chronic disease, mental illness, and two additional factors, ie, media use and cultural identity, among college students.MethodsData were collected in both countries using the same online survey through a survey management program (Qualtrics). In China, college instructors distributed the survey link among university students, and it was also posted on a leading social media site called Sina Weibo. In the United States, the data were collected in a college-wide survey pool in a large Northwestern university.ResultsThe final sample size was 235 for the Chinese sample and 241 for the US sample. Media use was significantly associated with mental health information–seeking intentions in the Chinese sample (P<.001), and cultural identity was significantly associated with intentions in both samples (China: P=.02; United States: P<.001). The extended PRISM had a better model fit than the original PRISM.ConclusionsCultural identity and media use should be considered when evaluating the process of mental health information seeking or when designing interventions to address mental health information seeking.