Real life, real users, and real needs: a study and analysis of user queries on the web

Jansen, Bernard J. and Spink, Amanda H. and Saracevic, Tefko (2000) Real life, real users, and real needs: a study and analysis of user queries on the web. Information Processing and Management, 36(2). pp. 207-227.

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DOI: 10.1016/S0306-4573(99)00056-4

Abstract

We analyzed transaction logs containing 51,473 queries posed by 18,113 users of Excite, a major Internet search service. We provide data on: (i) sessions - changes in queries during a session, number of pages viewed, and use of relevance feedback, (ii) queries - the number of search terms, and the use of logic and modifiers, and (iii) terms - their rank/frequency distribution and the most highly used search terms. We then shift the focus of analysis from the query to the user to gain insight to the characteristics of the Web user. With these characteristics as a basis, we then conducted a failure analysis, identifying trends among user mistakes. We conclude with a summary of findings and a discussion of the implications of these findings.

ID Code:	4858
Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	information retrieval, transaction log analysis, searching behaviour, relevancy ranking, frequency ranking
ISSN:	0306-4573
Subjects:	Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCES (080000) > LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES (080700) > Information Retrieval and Web Search (080704)
Divisions:	QUT Faculties and Divisions > Faculty of Science and Technology
Copyright Owner:	Copyright 2000 Elsevier
Copyright Statement:	Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.
Deposited On:	25 Aug 2006
Last Modified:	23 Jan 2009 04:51

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