Online Information Retrieval Systems Research Articles

PCAO2: an ontology for integration of prostate cancer associated genotypic, phenotypic and lifestyle data.

Disease ontologies facilitate the semantic organization and representation of domain-specific knowledge. In the case of prostate cancer (PCa), large volumes of research results and clinical data have been accumulated and needed to be standardized for sharing and translational researches. A formal representation of PCa-associated knowledge will be essential to the diverse data standardization, data sharing and the future knowledge graph extraction, deep phenotyping and explainable artificial intelligence developing. In this study, we constructed an updated PCa ontology (PCAO2) based on the ontology development life cycle. An online information retrieval system was designed to ensure the usability of the ontology. The PCAO2 with a subclass-based taxonomic hierarchy covers the major biomedical concepts for PCa-associated genotypic, phenotypic and lifestyle data. The current version of the PCAO2 contains 633 concepts organized under three biomedical viewpoints, namely, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. These concepts are enriched by the addition of definition, synonym, relationship and reference. For the precision diagnosis and treatment, the PCa-associated genes and lifestyles are integrated in the viewpoint of epidemiological aspects of PCa. PCAO2 provides a standardized and systematized semantic framework for studying large amounts of heterogeneous PCa data and knowledge, which can be further, edited and enriched by the scientific community. The PCAO2 is freely available at https://bioportal.bioontology.org/ontologies/PCAO, http://pcaontology.net/ and http://pcaontology.net/mobile/.

Investigating the role of internet-based educational application in the dental sciences

ObjectiveThe study intended to identify the significance of the online information retrieval system (IRS) in evidence-based dentistry (EBD). Thus, the researchers apply a set of pre-and post-tests to evaluate the current knowledge of clinicians and students on online IRS. Materials and Methods: The researchers followed repeated measure design in this study. They applied random sampling technique for conducting pre-and post-test assessment. Five scenarios based EBD were developed to evaluate the performance of the participants. The researchers employed two phases in order to achieve the study's objective. In the first phase, 98 clinicians and 70 students were invited to attend three out of five clinical scenarios using IRS. In the second phase, the participants were invited to participate in a 15-min lecture presented by the researchers on the searching strategies and guidelines to apply keywords for searching the evidence using IRS. A significant level of p < 0.05 was obtained from the statistical analysis using the SPSS program version 16. Results: Of the 98 clinicians, only 37 responded to the questionnaire, with a response rate of 37.8 %. On the other hand, out of 70 students, 23 responded to the questionnaire, with a response rate of 32.8 %. In the pre-test, clinicians and students correctly answered 58.3 % of scenario questions. However, the data analysis outcome revealed that only 40.5 % of participants provided a relevant evidence source after an internet search. The students spent an average of 9 min to complete the task, whereas clinicians spent 16 min. After the completion of the lecture, 23 students and clinicians responded to the pre-test, whereas 10 responded to the post-test. Most students believed that the lecture was helpful and recommended similar types of lectures to be presented in the curriculum. The study findings highlight that the percentage of evidence provided in the "pre-test" was 60 %, which was improved in the post-test to 73.3 %. Conclusion: The experimental outcome suggests that internet-based educational applications enhance students' learning strategies. Additionally, the IRS supports clinicians in retrieving effective materials for treating their patients. Furthemore, there is a demand for extracurricular activity to improve the search strategies of clinicians and students to strengthen EBD.

Analysis of the main trends of the domestic market of contraceptive medical products in the context of increasing the country’s national security

The availability of high-quality and reliable information due developing and making managerial decisions process is the key to its effective functioning in the medicines and medical devices supply systems for any population groups. Аims. Conducting a comparative retrospective marketing analysis of the contraceptive medical devices market for the period 2020-2022 with the subsequent formation of an information array to assess the contraceptives suppling to female consumers. Materials and methods. The research materials are data from the State Register of Medical Equipment and Medical Devices of Ukraine, the Compendium Online information retrieval system, the Regulatory Documents of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine database, publications in scientific and practical publications in the direction of the study, data from the «Compendium» online information resource and an Internet resource for finding drugs in pharmacies of Ukraine «Tabletki.ua». Methods: content analysis, comparative and analytical methods, marketing research. The results of the research. The main assortment changes in contraceptive medical devices (CMD) for the period 2020-2022 were established: fullness and width. Changes in the corporate structure and market segmentation by producing countries were determined. The indices of the level of market monopolization were calculated and compared. Conclusions. As a result of a comprehensive study, the existing registries, information retrieval resources were analyzed and an assortment of modern CMD was formed, which has decreased by 20% over the past two years and is represented by male condoms - 80% and IC (intrauterine contraceptives) - 20%. It was established that there are no contraceptives such as the female condom, cervical cap and diaphragm on the Ukrainian CMD market, which significantly limits the choice of a female consumer. The general and segment indices of market monopolization in 2020 and 2022 were calculated. Based on them, progressive monopolistic tendencies were traced.

Remote OPAC users’ search query reformulation (SQR) patterns: a transaction log analysis

PurposeUsers' search logs are implicit feedbacks on how searchers interact with online information retrieval (IR) systems. The purpose of this paper is to analyze search query reformulation (SQR) patterns of University of Dar es Salaam remote OPAC users.Design/methodology/approachQualitative and quantitative analysis of transaction logs were employed to ascertain the characteristics of search queries and the patterns in which remote OPAC users reformulate their search queries. The study covered a period of six months, commencing from January to June 2019.FindingsA total of 30,474 search hits were submitted by remote OPAC users during the period under study. Individuals from academic and research institutions, computing consortia, and telecommunication companies are the main users of the system. Most of the searches originated from North America and Europe, with few searches coming from China and India. Besides improving search results, SQRs are linked with the existence of multiple information demands as manifested by the use of heterogeneous headwords within individual search episodes.Research limitations/implicationsData collected covered only six months. Similarly, it was however not possible to analyze users' search query formulation within specific contexts such as task-based information searching.Practical implicationsA query recommendation system should be integrated into the OPAC functionalities to improve users' search experiences. Alternatively, there should be a migration to a new system that offers more advanced search features and functionalities.Originality/valueThe study has contributed new insights in SQR studies particularly on how non-institutional affiliated users translate their information needs into search queries during information searching processes.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-09-2020-0389

Using a customized search engine to address low health literacy: a program description

In the provision of health information, it is the structure as much as the content of an information source that can influence a patient's ability to understand and act upon medical guidance. Canada has a commitment to providing equal, quality health care to all citizens, but a barrier to this equality has emerged as health information has gone online. This paper discusses the online information retrieval system in a patient library in a Canadian hospital, the barrier that this system created in connecting patients with health information, and how resources were reorganized to more equitably meet the needs of patients. The example of one information retrieval system provides a new frame through which to evaluate the organization of electronic information in health care settings.

Uniform Storage Model-based Update Scheme of On-line Information Retrieval System

In order to improve the retrieval performance of on-line information retrieval systems, an efficient index update scheme is proposed in this paper, which can provide better skipping function and further enhance both space and time efficiencies without inserting any additional auxiliary information. A uniform storage model (USM) is proposed to manage both short and long postings lists based on link. A USM-based update scheme also is proposed to distinguish long and short posting lists, which merges short lists with immediately merge, and merges long lists with improved Y-limited contiguous multiple merge scheme, which balances the trade-off of the time and space efficiencies effectively. The proposed update scheme not only considers both index level and inverted list level update, but also effectively improves time and space efficiencies of index update. Detailed experimental results and comparison with existed schemes show that the proposed scheme greatly averagely reduces space cost, conjunctive Boolean query time, and the cost of on-line index construction

Millennial Undergraduate Research Strategies in Web and Library Information Retrieval Systems

This article summarizes the author's dissertation regarding search strategies of millennial undergraduate students in Web and library online information retrieval systems. Millennials bring a unique set of search characteristics and strategies to their research since they have never known a world without the Web. Through the use of search engines, they have come to expect that searches can be completed using an easy, single search box that produces complete articles on just about any topic. However, the reliability and quality of much of the information on the Web is questionable. Conversely, information that resides in library information retrieval systems is often of high scholarly content, but there is not a single, user-friendly system for millennials to use. A case study investigation was conducted at the State University of New York at Oswego, a public undergraduate university in Central New York. The goal of the study was to identify the search strategies of a sampling of millennial undergraduate students in both Web information retrieval systems and library information retrieval systems in order to expand upon existing theories about millennials and to suggest interface design enhancements, which could make online library information retrieval systems easier for millennials to use. The findings recommend improving database search functionality, such as natural-language searching, spell-checking, and uniform full-text wording and placement. Results also suggested that increasing the availability of full-text articles would contribute to millennials’ use of library information retrieval systems.

An overview of 45 published database resources for complementary and alternative medicine

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has succeeded to implement itself in the academic context of universities. In order to get information on CAM, clinicians, researchers and healthcare professionals as well as the lay public are increasingly turning to online portals and databases, which disseminate relevant resources. One specific type of online information retrieval systems, namely the database, is being reviewed in this article. This overview aims at systematically retrieving and describing all databases covering the field of CAM. One of the requirements for inclusion was that the database would also have to be published in a medical journal. The databases AMED, CAMbase, EMBASE, and MEDLINE/PubMed were searched between December 2008 and December 2009 for publications relevant to CAM databases. The authors' specialist library was also searched for grey literature to be included. All included databases were then visited online and information on the context, structure and volume of the database was extracted. Forty-five databases were included in this overview. Databases covered herbal therapies (n = 11), traditional Chinese medicine (n = 9) and some dealt with a vast number of CAM modalities (n = 9), amongst others. The amount of time the databases had been in existence ranged from 4 to 53 years. Countries of origin included the USA (n = 14), UK (n = 7) and Germany (n = 6), amongst others. The main language in 42 of 45 databases was English. Although this overview is quite comprehensive with respect to the field of CAM, certain CAM practices such as chiropractic, massage, reflexology, meditation or yoga may not have been covered adequately. A more detailed assessment of the quality of the included databases might give additional insights into the listed resources. The creation of a personalised meta-search engine is suggested, towards which this overview could be seen as a first step.

A review of research on human‐computer interfaces for online information retrieval systems

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to review the research on human‐computer interfaces for library‐based commercial online information retrieval (IR) systems.Design/methodology/approachThe review first focuses on basic interface issues for information retrieval such as interface style, end‐user searching, query formulation, relevance feedback and browsing. The second part deals with cognitive engineering in IR including mental models and individual differences. Finally, the topics on user interface engineering are covered. These include user interface guidelines, usability evaluation methods and interface engineering techniques.FindingsThe review shows that user interface design has received a limited attention from IR researchers. There is a need for adopting human‐computer interaction (HCI) techniques into IR interface designs, but this issue has not yet been fully recognised by the commercial database vendors and distributors. The paper recommends that applying HCI techniques could help in developing more usable IR interfaces.Practical implicationsThe review identifies the main activities of a user‐centred design methodology and suggests that IR interface designers should use this method in future. This could have major implications in IR interface design for end‐user searching.Originality/valueThe review is the first to offer an overview of empirical research on IR interface design and IR usability engineering. Both IR researchers and practitioners may benefit from the description of previous research and the user‐centred design advocated by the current research.

Tensions in Cataloging: &lt;i&gt;Observations on Standards and Implementation&lt;/i&gt;

IntroductionIt is usually agreed that the general objectives for the creation of library catalogs as stated by Cutter in 1876 (1889) and Lubetzky in 1961 (1963, 139, 1st objective) are still valid and relevant, despite the fact that these bibliographic tools are constantly evolving and transforming. The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records model (FRBR) requires that bibliographic data allow end-users to find, identify, select and obtain documents that correspond to expressed search criteria (IFLA, 1998, 8-9). A library catalog can be described as a type of bibliographic file that has the distinctive feature to gather descriptive records for a given library collection, be it physical or virtual. Thus the principal function of a library catalog is to provide bibliographic control for a collection of documents, i.e., to perform the operations by which the information is organized and structured according to one or several established standards in order to render this information easily identifiable and available. The two fundamental objectives of catalogs, identification and retrieval, are usually achieved by creating standardized descriptions by analyzing the content in order to describe the intellectual content, by classifying the items in order to group them in meaningful categories, by adding a variety of controlled access keys, and indexing, in total or in part, the textual content of these descriptions. The fulfillment of these objectives is undoubtedly guided by the creation and the maintenance of bibliographic description and encoding standards (AACR, LCSH, MARC), but is also influenced by the development of new features of online information retrieval systems. As a result, even if the objectives for the creation of library catalogs remain more or less stable over the years, the means available to fulfill these objectives evolve rapidly. Recently, the improvement of text information retrieval techniques and the development of hypertextual interfaces have facilitated the development of more and more sophisticated retrieval features in library catalogs.Coordinating the development and the application of bibliographic dards, on one hand, and the development of text retrieval systems, on the other, is not a small task. The encounter of these two worlds is fairly recent and greatly suffers from a lack of communication and understanding. The rapid developments in the world of text information retrieval bring new opportunities to information systems designers and allow greater freedom to system managers for the local implementation of these systems. Adding new retrieval features often improves the search capabilities in online catalogs. It also seems that the implementation of these new retrieval functions can sometimes have a negative impact on the quality of retrieval, because these features are not always specifically designed for the type of data contained in library catalogs. Unfortunately, these retrieval features are not standardized and may vary considerably from one system to another. It is not possible to adapt bibliographic standards according to every system's design. Nevertheless, there has been an attempt in past years to develop minimal display standards for bibliographic records in catalogs to provide a standard to guide system designers and managers in their work (IFLA, 2003). The perfect system does not exist and it is always necessary to adapt bibliographic standards locally in order to comply with the constraints and restrictions imposed by the system. The parameters selected and applied during the local implementation of these systems will also have an impact on the manner that data are displayed and used, and this in turn may also require internal modifications to the local metadata creation procedures. We are in an evolutionary environment that focuses increasingly on data exchange and collaboration between organizations, where data and system system interoperability is crucial. …

Online Systems for Information Access and Retrieval

In 1973 F. W. Lancaster published the first textbook about online information retrieval (with E. G. Fayen). That text and his later writings and books on the topics relating to online searching set the precedent for many books to follow. His early work also advocated many changes to the state-of-the-art systems and anticipated many of the characteristics of modern online information retrieval systems. Although the basic underlying structure of modern systems is still similar to what Lancaster wrote about thirty years ago, many of the changes he advocated have occurred. From an era of bibliographic databases on command-driven systems searched by library professionals, online systems have evolved to have friendlier interfaces, include full texts or links to full texts, and are targeted to the end users of the information. The information industry has evolved, as have the online search systems and tools that are so commonplace today.

Medical literature search practice in paediatric junior medical staff: A questionnaire survey

With increasing medical knowledge and emphasis upon evidence-based medicine, it is essential for practitioners to have optimal literature searching skills. There are limited data regarding the use of online information retrieval (IR) systems by paediatric junior medical officers (JMO). The aims of this questionnaire-based study of a group of JMO were to assess the accessibility, frequency of use and preferences for electronic information resources, and to ascertain their perceived adequacy of training and expertise in online searching. Questionnaires were distributed to 319 JMO at two Australian children's hospitals. A total of 106 questionnaires were returned (33.2% response rate). Twenty-four-hour access to electronic medical databases was available to almost 90% of respondents at work or home. Five or less online searches per month were performed by 53.7% of respondents. Previous formal training in database searching was reported by 72.4% of respondents, but over half felt it had been inadequate. Most JMO (91.5%) acknowledged a need for further training in search skills. In spite of widespread availability of online resources, use of these resources was sub-optimal in this group of trainee doctors. Most respondents reported a need for further training in electronic searching. Continuing targeted education in electronic database searching is required to ensure that future doctors develop skills to ensure optimal use of medical literature.

Twenty-five years of end-user searching, Part 1: Research findings

This is the first part of a two-part article that reviews 25 years of published research findings on end-user searching in online information retrieval (IR) systems. In Part 1 [Markey, 2007], the a...

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Twenty‐five years of end‐user searching, Part 1: Research findings

AbstractThis is the first part of a two‐part article that reviews 25 years of published research findings on end‐user searching in online information retrieval (IR) systems. In Part 1 (Markey, 2007), the author seeks to answer the following questions: What characterizes the queries that end users submit to online IR systems? What search features do people use? What features would enable them to improve on the retrievals they have in hand? What features are hardly ever used? What do end users do in response to the system's retrievals? Are end users satisfied with their online searches? Summarizing searches of online IR systems by the search features people use everyday makes information retrieval appear to be a very simplistic one‐stop event. In Part 2, the author examines current models of the information retrieval process, demonstrating that information retrieval is much more complex and involves changes in cognition, feelings, and/or events during the information seeking process. She poses a host of new research questions that will further our understanding about end‐user searching of online IR systems.

Twenty‐five years of end‐user searching, Part 2: Future research directions

AbstractThis is the second part of a two‐part article that examines 25 years of published research findings on end‐user searching of online information retrieval (IR) systems. In Part 1 (Markey, 2007), it was learned that people enter a few short search statements into online IR systems. Their searches do not resemble the systematic approach of expert searchers who use the full range of IR‐system functionality. Part 2 picks up the discussion of research findings about end‐user searching in the context of current information retrieval models. These models demonstrate that information retrieval is a complex event, involving changes in cognition, feelings, and/or events during the information seeking process. The author challenges IR researchers to design new studies of end‐user searching, collecting data not only on system‐feature use, but on multiple search sessions and controlling for variables such as domain knowledge expertise and expert system knowledge. Because future IR systems designers are likely to improve the functionality of online IR systems in response to answers to the new research questions posed here, the author concludes with advice to these designers about retaining the simplicity of online IR system interfaces.

웹 검색 분야에서의 로그 분석 방법론의 활용도

웹 검색 분야에서 사용되고 있는 다양한 연구 방법들 중 로그 분석 방법은 이용자의 실제 검색 행위를 사실적으로 반영한다. 로그 분석을 통하여 대다수 이용자의 전반적인 이용 행태를 분석할 수 있으므로, 로그 분석 방법은 이용자 계층이 다양하고 이질적인 웹 검색 분야의 연구에 적합한 방법이라고 할수 있다. 이에 본 연구에서는 네이버의 트랜잭션 로그를 분석한 일련의 연구를 중심으로 로그 분석 방법론이 웽 검색 분야에 어떻게 활용되고 기여할 수 있는지를 파악하고 향후 활용 분야를 제시하고자 한다. 본 연구의 결과는 웹 검색 분야의 학문적 발전과 보다 효율적인 웹 검색 시스템 개발과 서비스 구축에 기여할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다. Transaction logs capture the interactions between online information retrieval systems and the users. Given the nature of the Web and Web users, transaction logs appear to be a reasonable and relevant method to collect and investigate information searching behaviors from a large number of Web users. Based on a series of research studies that analyzed Naver transaction logs, this study examines how transaction log analysis can be applied and contributed to the field of web searching and suggests future implications for the web searching field. It is expected that this study could contribute to the development and implementation of more effective Web search systems and services.

Finding out: a system for providing rapid and reliable answers to questions in the construction sector

The construction sector is notorious for the dichotomy between its intensive use of information in its decision‐making processes and its limited access to, and insufficient use of, the pertinent information that is potentially available, e.g. on the internet. This paper seeks to examine this issue. To solve this problem (the ‘problem of information aboutinformation’), a multidisciplinary team developed an online question‐answering (Q.‐A.)system that uses natural language for the query and the reply. The system provides a direct answer to questions posed by building industry participants, instead of providing a list of references (as is the case with most online information retrieval systems), much as if onewere asking a question of, and receiving a response from, an expert.It has the capabilitiesto process questions in natural language, to find appropriate fragments of answers indifferent web sites and to condense them into a paragraph, also written in natural language. The main features of the system are that it uses domain‐specific knowledge (in the form ofa hierarchical specialized thesaurus complemented by terms of fieldwork parlance),semantic categorization, a database of filtered and indexed web sites, and an online interface that is adapted to different profiles of actors in the construction sector. The testing process shows that the system goes beyond the lists of references and links provided by traditional search engines on the web.The Q.‐A.system already gives 70% of satisfactory answers. The Q.‐A.system can be applied to other business domains apart from information retrieval and decision‐making in the building sector. It is also possible to apply it to the exploitation of in‐house knowledge management database.

Protocol for the Quick Clinical study: a randomised controlled trial to assess the impact of an online evidence retrieval system on decision-making in general practice

BackgroundOnline information retrieval systems have the potential to improve patient care but there are few comparative studies of the impact of online evidence on clinicians' decision-making behaviour in routine clinical work.Methods/designA randomized controlled parallel design is employed to assess the effectiveness of an online evidence retrieval system, Quick Clinical (QC) in improving clinical decision-making processes in general practice. Eligible clinicians are randomised either to receive access or not to receive access to QC in their consulting rooms for 12 months. Participants complete pre- and post trial surveys.Two-hundred general practitioners are recruited. Participants must be registered to practice in Australia, have a computer with Internet access in their consulting room and use electronic prescribing. Clinicians planning to retire or move to another practice within 12 months or participating in any other clinical trial involving electronic extraction of prescriptions data are excluded from the study.The primary end-points for the study is clinician acceptance and use of QC and the resulting change in decision-making behaviour. The study will examine prescribing patterns related to frequently prescribed medications where there has been a recent significant shift in recommendations regarding their use based upon new evidence. Secondary outcome measures include self-reported changes in diagnosis, patient education, prescriptions written, investigations and referrals.DiscussionA trial under experimental conditions is an effective way of examining the impact of using QC in routine general practice consultations.

Do Online Information Retrieval Systems Help Experienced Clinicians Answer Clinical Questions?

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of clinicians' use of an online information retrieval system on their performance in answering clinical questions. DesignPre-/post-intervention experimental design. MeasurementsIn a computer laboratory, 75 clinicians (26 hospital-based doctors, 18 family practitioners, and 31 clinical nurse consultants) provided 600 answers to eight clinical scenarios before and after the use of an online information retrieval system. We examined the proportion of correct answers pre- and post-intervention, direction of change in answers, and differences between professional groups. ResultsSystem use resulted in a 21% improvement in clinicians' answers, from 29% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.4–32.6) correct pre- to 50% (95% CI 46.0–54.0) post-system use. In 33% (95% CI 29.1–36.9) answers were changed from incorrect to correct. In 21% (95% CI 17.1–23.9) correct pre-test answers were supported by evidence found using the system, and in 7% (95% CI 4.9–9.1) correct pre-test answers were changed incorrectly. For 40% (35.4–43.6) of scenarios, incorrect pre-test answers were not rectified following system use. Despite significant differences in professional groups' pre-test scores [family practitioners: 41% (95% CI 33.0–49.0), hospital doctors: 35% (95% CI 28.5–41.2), and clinical nurse consultants: 17% (95% CI 12.3–21.7; χ2=29.0, df=2, p < 0.01)], there was no difference in post-test scores. (χ2=2.6, df=2, p=0.73). ConclusionsThe use of an online information retrieval system was associated with a significant improvement in the quality of answers provided by clinicians to typical clinical problems. In a small proportion of cases, use of the system produced errors. While there was variation in the performance of clinical groups when answering questions unaided, performance did not differ significantly following system use. Online information retrieval systems can be an effective tool in improving the accuracy of clinicians' answers to clinical questions.