Typology of user uncertainty in Web-based information seeking: Insight into the information seeking context of scholarly researchers in the field of science

While numerous studies have suggested the significance of uncertainty during the process of information seeking, less research has investigated user uncertainty in the actual search process using a real system and relating the findings to specific characteristics of their information seeking context. This study examined user perceptions of uncertainty in an extensive process of information seeking that encompassed the following phases: (1) identifying information need; (2) conducting a search---designing a search strategy (selecting a system and search terms) and using the system; and (3) evaluating the search results.; Considering the role of commercial Web search engines as supplementary tools for traditional bibliographic databases in academic research environments, this study analyzed the information seeking process of researchers, specifically at the doctoral or post-doctoral level, who use such search tools for their academic study. The researchers were limited to the discipline of science (pure and applied) in order to understand user perceptions and behaviors in this field. Fifteen case studies were conducted in the subject's workplace at Rutgers University. Each subject had a real information need and was planning to search the World Wide Web using a search engine. These conditions constituted the natural setting of the data collection process.; The results demonstrated that the subjects use search engines as an essential tool to locate academic resources in diverse circumstances, thereby supporting the significance of this study. The findings revealed various dimensions, types and incidents of uncertainty in different phases of information seeking. Variations appeared in different incidents of uncertainty within each of the information seeking phases relating to the unique characteristics of the subjects' information seeking context. Some incidents more explicitly differentiated between the subjects' information seeking context and other such contexts, providing insights into the context about information needs, systems, and resources, particularly at a functional level. The typology of uncertainty facilitated an understanding of the information seeking context by identifying various aspects of the context that constituted the subjects' uncertainty. Four principal origins of uncertainty were identified based on the different types of uncertainty, generating implications to improve information systems and services.