New tools and old habits : the interactive searching behavior of expert online searchers using INQUERY

Abstract

We present data that describe the interactive searching behavior of ten searchers using the INQUERY retrieval engine in the context of the TREC-3 routing task. We discuss how these searchers with a strong background in the use of traditional online retrieval mechanisms adapted, after very limited training, to the use of a best-match, ranked-output, full-text retrieval mechanism. 1 Introduction The development of IR system technology from slow, batch-mode, query submission to online query submission with rapid response generation by the IR system now allows for a highly interactive, iterative query development process. From experimental studies, it has been known for some time that best-match, ranked-output retrieval techniques are in general superior to exact-match systems in terms of recall and precision performance measures (e.g. [Belkin & Croft1987]). Furthermore, it seems that systems which allow queries to be put in unstructured form allow easier query formulation than those whic...