Contribution

Searching the web: The public and their queries

Resource type
Authors/contributors
Title
Searching the web: The public and their queries
Abstract
In studying actual Web searching by the public at large, we analyzed over one million Web queries by users of the Excite search engine. We found that most people use few search terms, few modified queries, view few Web pages, and rarely use advanced search features. A small number of search terms are used with high frequency, and a great many terms are unique; the language of Web queries is distinctive. Queries about recreation and entertainment rank highest. Findings are compared to data from two other large studies of Web queries. This study provides an insight into the public practices and choices in Web searching.
Publication
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Volume
52
Issue
3
Pages
226-234
Date
2001
Language
en
ISSN
1532-2890
Short Title
Searching the web
Accessed
1/21/19, 11:57 PM
Library Catalog
Wiley Online Library
Rights
Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Citation
Spink, A., Wolfram, D., Jansen, M. B. J., & Saracevic, T. (2001). Searching the web: The public and their queries. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 52(3), 226–234. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4571(2000)9999:9999<::AID-ASI1591>3.0.CO;2-R
Field of study
Contribution