Copy the page URI to the clipboard
Jesper, Steph; Clough, Paul and Hall, Mark
(2013).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40501-3_42
Abstract
This paper describes an in-depth study of the effects of geographic region on search patterns; particularly query reformulations, in a large query log from the UK National Archives (TNA). A total of 1,700 sessions involving 9,447 queries from 17 countries were manually analyzed for their semantic composition and pairs of queries for their reformulation type. Results show country-level variations for the types of queries commonly issued and typical patterns of query reformulation. Understanding the effects of regional differences will assist with the future design of search algorithms at TNA as they seek to improve their international reach.