Showing papers presented at "Aslib Journal of Information Management in 2016"

Understanding the influence of social media on people’s life satisfaction through two competing explanatory mechanisms

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how social media usage affects people’s life satisfaction through two competing explanatory mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was conducted to collect data. And the partial least squares method was used to examine the relationships among the usage of social media, social benefit, social overload and life satisfaction. Findings – The results indicate that usage of social media can make people achieve social benefit, thus leading to enhanced life satisfaction. Unexpectedly, though usage of social media can bring the negative consequences (e.g. social overload), social overload cannot predict a decreased life satisfaction. Originality/value – Concentrating on the outcomes of social aspects by using social media, this study proposes the double-sided role of social media instead of single effect.

Does culture matter in effectiveness of social media marketing strategy? An investigation of brand fan pages

Abstract: Purpose Along with traditional marketing channels, social media outlets are integrated as a part of the marketing mix. Social media has changed the dynamics of interaction between companies and consumers that foster this relationship. Managing brand fan pages on social networking sites is a specific way the companies are using. Customers can become brand fans on these pages and indicate that they like the brand posts, share on their wall or simply comment. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of cultural differences on the effectiveness of social media metrics and scientifically tested brand engagement in terms of commitment, loyalty and brand recommendations. Design/methodology/approach The authors analysed 1,922 brand posts from five different brands of a single product category in three different countries. Ordinary least square and hierarchical moderation regression was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Results show that all determinants are not equally suitable for enhancement of number of likes, comments and shares. More specifically, vivid and interactive brand post determinants enhance the number of likes. Furthermore, interactive brand posts enhance the number of comments while vivid brand posts enhance number of shares. Moreover, impact and intensity vary across different cultures. Originality/value Brand fan page moderators can obtain guidance from the research in formulating their social media marketing strategies in order to decide which post determinants to place on the fan page.

Alternative metric indicators for funding scheme evaluations

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential of altmetric and webometric indicators to aid with funding agencies’ evaluations of their funding schemes. Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses a range of altmetric and webometric indicators in terms of suitability for funding scheme evaluations, compares them to traditional indicators and reports some statistics derived from a pilot study with Wellcome Trust-associated publications. Findings – Some alternative indicators have advantages to usefully complement scientometric data by reflecting a different type of impact or through being available before citation data. Research limitations/implications – The empirical part of the results is based on a single case study and does not give statistical evidence for the added value of any of the indicators. Practical implications – A few selected alternative indicators can be used by funding agencies as part of their funding scheme evaluations if they are processed in ways that enable comparisons between data sets. Their evidence value is only weak, however. Originality/value – This is the first analysis of altmetrics or webometrics from a funding scheme evaluation perspective.

The importance of the Whatsapp family group: an exploratory analysis

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on WhatsApp, a mobile messaging service for smartphones that began in 2009. The study uses attachment theory, a social support perspective and one personality characteristic derived from the Big Five theory of personality (“openness to experience”) and attempts to predict how these variables influence the importance of the WhatsApp family group. Design/methodology/approach – Research was conducted in Israel during the first semester of the 2015 academic year and encompassed 191 undergraduate communication students. Researchers used six questionnaires to gather personal details, WhatsApp use, WhatsApp importance, attachment, openness to experience, and social support. Findings – The findings confirm that the personality characteristic of openness to experience and social support significantly predict the importance of WhatsApp family group. Findings present a complex and ambiguous relationship between the attachment variables and the importance of WhatsApp fa...

Role of social media in information-seeking behaviour of international students: A systematic literature review

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the information-seeking behaviour of international students in terms of their information needs and to highlight the role of social media.,In this paper, a systematic literature survey was conducted in order to investigate information-seeking trends among international students while using social media. As a result, an exhaustive systematic literature review (SLR) was carried out in order to investigate social media as a source for the observation of the behaviours of international students. For this purpose, 71 articles were selected from various well-known sources after an intensive SLR process of searching, filtering and enforcing the inclusion and exclusion criteria.,As an outcome of this study, the information-seeking behaviour of international students was highlighted with respect to social media as a source of information. In addition, this research identifies the information needs of the international students and categorizes them by the roles played by the social media in fulfilling the information needs.,A comparative study that highlighted the dearth of studies which merge the social media and information-seeking behaviour of international students as well as identify the future direction for the researchers and for benefits of international students.,A detail SLR which highlights the need of shifting the information seeking behaviour from libraries to social media in regard to the new environment for international students.

Relationships among attachment theory, social capital perspective, personality characteristics, and Facebook self-disclosure

Abstract: Purpose – Due to the growth of Facebook use, the question arises regarding which factors may influence individuals’ self-disclosure while using the site. The purpose of this paper is to examine: first, to what extent does attachment theory explain users’ self-disclosure on Facebook; second, to what extent does the social capital paradigm explain users’ self-disclosure on Facebook; third, to what extent do personality characteristics explain users’ self-disclosure on Facebook; and fourth, to what extent do demographic details explain users’ self-disclosure on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach – Research was conducted in Israel and included 183 library and information science students. Participants were asked to complete the following questionnaires: personal details, Facebook use, importance of Facebook use, demographic disclosure, picture disclosure, disclosure, social capital, attachment, and personality. Findings – The current study extends research about Facebook self-disclosure and confirms that attachment theory, as well as social capital, personality traits, and age significantly predict Facebook self-disclosure. Originality/value – We should bear in mind that there are certain people who may benefit from disclosing information on Facebook, while there are others who may be at risk, because they reveal more personal information than they intended and the line between the two is fuzzy. Individuals should bear in mind that if they disclose too much information, they might become easy targets for abuse, internet predators, sexual solicitation, sexting, cyberbullying, and online harassment.

Playing with science: Exploring how game activity motivates users participation on an online citizen science platform

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine intrinsic forms of motivation and particular incidents of play, socialisation, fun and amusement on an online crowdsourced citizen science platform. The paper also investigates gamised activity (Greenhill et al., 2014) as a form of intrinsic motivation adding a sense of play to work and tasks (Xu et al., 2012). These concepts are explored through close scrutiny of the online citizen science platform Zooniverse.org. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative techniques with an interpretivist approach are used to analyse online content found within citizen science platforms, related forums and social media by examining incidents of play, socialisation, fun and amusement to investigate how these aspects are applied as a form of user motivation. Findings – The authors find that when users classify crowdsourced tasks voluntarily it does not matter how users are classifying as long as it is accurately. However, what does matter is why they are doing it particularly because of the complex processes that builds relationships between users and the platform. The authors present a conceptual model to enable deeper understandings of how forms of social interaction and play are motivating users contributing to citizen science project to participate in the online processes. Practical implications – The findings of this paper provide practical implications for how citizen science, and also other crowdsourcing platforms, can engage with notions of play and gamification to motivate participation. Originality/value – Using detailed examples of online content, the authors reveal how participants of the Zooniverse.org demonstrate aspects of “gamised” behaviour. The authors argue that the exploration of gaming as well as play provides evidence that contributing to citizen science projects can be both utilitarian and hedonic.

Exploring continuance intention of social networking sites: An empirical study integrating social support and network externalities

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of continuance intention of social networking site (SNS) users through a new perspective and discuss how to retain SNS users. Design/methodology/approach The author proposed a research model by integrating network externalities and social support. Three dimensions of social support and two types of network externalities were analyzed, respectively, to explore the direct and indirect effects on continuance intention. Online questionnaires were adopted to collect data, and 513 valid samples were analyzed by structural equation modeling approach. Findings The findings show that network externalities have a significant indirect effect on user’ continuance intention through the mediation effects of social support, and among the three dimensions of social support, network management plays a more important role on continuance intention. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that network externalities can trigger the function of social support to keep the “stickiness” of SNS users, and network management is the key dimension of online social support. Some other theoretical and practical implications are also provided. Originality/value The study is novel in exploring users’ continuance intention of SNSs by integrating social support and network externalities. Meanwhile, the author also intends to compare the effect of different dimensions of social support on SNS usage and discuss their internal relationships.

Affective capitalism of knowing and the society of search engine

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the affective premises and economics of the influence of search engines on knowing and informing in the contemporary society. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual discussion of the affective premises and framings of the capitalist economics of knowing is presented. Findings The main proposition of this text is that the exploitation of affects is entwined in the competing market and emancipatory discourses and counter-discourses both as intentional interventions, and perhaps even more significantly, as unintentional influences that shape the ways of knowing in the peripheries of the regime that shape cultural constellations of their own. Affective capitalism bounds and frames our ways of knowing in ways that are difficult to anticipate and read even from the context of the regime itself. Originality/value In the relatively extensive discussion on the role of affects in the contemporary capitalism, influence of affects on knowing and their relation to search engine use has received little explicit attention so far.

Competitive intelligence theoretical framework and practices: The case of Spanish universities

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarise previous studies to develop a theoretical framework useful to describe and classify competitive intelligence (CI) practices. It is applied to study CI practices developed by Spanish universities, comparing usual practices with those developed during the process of adaptation of degrees to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), with strong challenges. Design/methodology/approach – The research employs a mixed-methods approach (semi-structured interviews and questionnaires) developed in two phases. It has focused on the academic offer, which represents 46.35 per cent of the degrees presented in 2009, belonging to 90.16 per cent of Spanish universities. Findings – The results reveal predominance of incipient and reactive practices, oriented to the tactical level. During the adaptation process, these practices evolved due to the perception of the involvement of universities in the adaptation process. In addition, the proposed theoretical framework could ...

An examination of the factors contributing to participation in online social platforms

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine participation in online social platforms consisting of information exchange, social network interactions, and political deliberation. Despite the proven benefits of online participation, the majority of internet users read social media data but do not directly contribute, a phenomenon called lurking.,A survey was administered electronically to 507 participants and consisted of ten sections in a questionnaire to gather data on the relationship between online participation and the following variables: anonymity, social value orientation, motivations, and participation in offline activities, as well as the internet’s political influence and personality traits.,Findings show that users with high levels of participation also identify themselves, report higher levels of extroversion, openness, and activity outside the internet, the motivations being an intermediary variable in the relationship between the variables value.,The study shows that participation in online social platforms is not only related to personality traits, but they are impacted by the nature of the motivations that drive them to participate in the particular social platform, as well as by the interest toward the specific topic, or the type or nature of the social group with whom they are communicating.

Exploring digital library usage for getting information from the ELM perspective: The moderating effect of information need

Abstract: Purpose – The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) provides a general framework for understanding the basic processes underlying the effectiveness of persuasion. The purpose of this paper is to utilize the ELM to understand the basic processes underlying the effectiveness of persuasion to use digital libraries for getting information. Design/methodology/approach – The survey data collection was conducted in one comprehensive university. The partial least squares structured equation modelling was employed to verify the research model. Findings – Source credibility and reputation have positive effects on information usefulness which further significantly impacts digital library usage for getting information. The effect of information quality on information usefulness is overpowered by reputation. Information need positively moderates the effect of information quality on information usefulness and negatively moderates the effect of reputation on information usefulness. Practical implications – Digital librarie...

Measurement of internal user satisfaction and acceptance of the e-justice system in Turkey

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an evaluation model for National Judiciary Informatics System (NJIS), which is an e-justice system forming part of e-government, based on the models and the theories of information systems (ISs). Design/methodology/approach The survey was conducted on 8,840 internal users working for judicial services in Turkey. The success of the NJIS as an e-justice system is evaluated using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings The results show that while the most important factor is the latent variable information quality in the SEM created to analyze the satisfaction of internal users using the NJIS, other factors include perceived usefulness (PU), system quality, and service quality, respectively. It is found that design quality has affected directly and positively the perceived ease of use (PEoU) while PEoU has affected the PU in the same manner. Research limitations/implications This study was solely concerned with internal users. Therefore, a more comparative study in which other users such as lawyers and ordinary citizens can be incorporated is suggested. Related to internal user satisfaction of the e-justice system, it is explored whether or not internal users are satisfied with their information processing needs, the system’s efficiency, the number of process steps, technical office services, and the system in general. Originality/value The research presents a new developed evaluation model of e-justice system from an internal user perspective. Most evaluation models focus on system-centered evaluation or organizational structure while user-centered evaluation concerning judicial ISs has not been explored yet.

Assessing disciplinary differences in faculty perceptions of information literacy competencies

Abstract: Purpose – Uncovering faculty members’ conceptions of Information Literacy (IL), as well as exploring their perceptions with regard to the importance given to a previously defined set of core IL competences grouped into four categories: searching, evaluation, processing and communication and dissemination. Ascertaining the possible differences among the five knowledge branches (arts and humanities, sciences, social and legal sciences, health sciences, and technical disciplines); and understanding the importance granted to a set of learning improvement initiatives by the faculty. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The survey was completed by a set of faculty members from the University of Granada (Spain). Data were collected using the IL-HUMASS survey. The research is based on subjective data, first approached from a descriptive point of view. Later, data correlation, analysis and non-parametric tests were used with the goal of finding significant differences of faculty pe...

Reuse of scientific data in academic publications

Abstract: Purpose – In recent years, a large number of data repositories have been built and used. However, the extent to which scientific data are re-used in academic publications is still unknown. The purpose of this paper is to explore the functions of re-used scientific data in scholarly publication in different fields. Design/methodology/approach – To address these questions, the authors identified 827 publications citing resources in the Dryad Digital Repository indexed by Scopus from 2010 to 2015. Findings – The results show that: the number of citations to scientific data increases sharply over the years, but mainly from data-intensive disciplines, such as agricultural, biology science, environment science and medicine; the majority of citations are from the originating articles; and researchers tend to reuse data produced by their own research groups. Research limitations/implications – Dryad data may be re-used without being formally cited. Originality/value – The conservatism in data sharing suggests tha...

Collaborative information seeking in student group projects

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the collaborative information seeking (CIS) behaviors of students conducting authentic group work projects, and the features of a collaborative search system that are most useful to these students. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory study was conducted with 41 participants in ten groups working on an in class, for-credit group project assignment utilizing a collaborative search system. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered on the everyday search practices of students over the course of the group project, along with quality scores for the sources found. Findings Results showed that student behavior during their CIS related to the quality of their search outcomes, as the effective and efficient searchers found better quality sources. Students’ pre-task attitudes and experiences toward group work also relate to the quality of their search outcomes. Student feedback demonstrated the importance of making collaborative search tools convenient, lightweight, and easy to use. Practical implications These findings may be useful to researchers designing and studying the effectiveness of collaborative search tools, and to instructors planning to incorporate group projects into their classes. Originality/value In this paper, the authors document the authentic behaviors and attitudes of students conducting group projects in an classroom setting, and offer specific recommendations for developers of collaborative search systems. These findings provide greater context for CIS research into the collaborative search behaviors of students conducting group work projects.

Product advertising and viral stealth marketing in online videos: A description and comparison of comments on YouTube

Abstract: Purpose – In the context of social media marketing, so called viral stealth videos (VSVs) often attract as much or even more attention than videos that directly advertise products (product advertising video (PAV)). However, beyond this, the product or brand-related impact of such videos is not so clear. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to investigate brand perception of PAVs and VSVs in YouTube. Design/methodology/approach – The research design is based on an examination of comments of six VSVs and six PAVs on YouTube. Therefore, the content of 1,080 posts was analyzed to capture the topic, the attitude toward the video and the pragmatic intent of posts. Findings – Results indicate that there are strong differences with regard to users ' perception of the two analyzed video type segments. The content of VSVs is clearly recognized as positive more often than the content of PAVs. In contrast, only PAVs evoke substantial brand awareness but receive rather mixed results with regards to brand assessment. Research limitations/implications – As a whole, the study is widely descriptive and of explorative value. Nevertheless, the research design can be estimated as a first step to measure the brand-related impact of online videos. Ideally, the data generated in the investigation should be combined with traffic and conversion data of the brands’ websites to get an encompassing picture of the marketing related impact of the investigated online videos. Practical implications – Seen from a marketers’ perspective, one can recommend PAVs over VSVs as there are hardly any brand-related impacts of VSVs visible in online communication. PAVs are perceived less positively but they are able to evoke brand awareness at least. Originality/value – According to the authors’ knowledge this investigation is one of only a few studies that analyzes real online communication in the context of video-based online marketing.

Research performance and degree centrality in co-authorship networks: The moderating role of homophily

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of the relationship between a scholar’s research performance (using weighted journal-impact factor average) and their degree centrality; the impact of author-homophily (in terms of gender, institutional sector, academic age, academic ranks, province and city) on this relationship is investigated as well. Design/methodology/approach Using scientific publishing data and journal-impact factors from Thomson Reuters’ ISI Web of Science (SCI) and Journal Citation Reports, respectively, the domestic co-authorship network of chemistry researchers in Pakistan during 2002-2009 was constructed then modeled via ordinary least squares regression. Findings Results show that the personal characteristics of a researcher do not necessarily lead to high degree centrality, i.e. attributes may not be causal to co-author relationships. Instead, high degree centrality is more so a function of the forerunning research performance of the researcher: those whom publish more in terms of impact factor, attract more co-authors (high degree centrality). Moreover, the relationship between research performance and degree centrality is positively moderated by age and province homophily and negatively moderated by city homophily. Research limitations/implications Data are sourced wholly from the Pakistani chemistry research community; results many not be generalizable to other sub-populations or the wider research community. Practical implications The findings provide insights to performance-seeking authors: knowing that their research performance enhances their centrality, which in-turn may lead to increased research performance and various other desirable professional outcomes. In addition, researchers can look toward establishing similar (homophilous) or dissimilar (heterophilous) ties knowing that the relationship between research performance and centrality will likely be stronger when similarity or dissimilarity exists. Social implications This study supports the idea that high research performance attracts more potential co-authors, which in-turn may lead to ever greater research performance, which suggests that the research community will be fragmented between high- and low-performing researchers. Also researcher will have similar or dissimilar ties in terms of various characteristics which in turn moderate the research performance centrality relationship. Originality/value This paper counteracts the empirical belief that researchers are attractive as potential co-authors according to their personal and professional characteristics. It is actually their research performance and homophily or heterophily of their ties which matters.

Investor relations via Web 2.0 social media channels: A qualitative study of Middle Eastern corporations and investors

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of Web 2.0-based social media for investor relations (IR), in the Middle Eastern (ME) context. IR is one of the under-researched topics of the corporate reporting subject area. This study seeks to contribute by investigating social media for IR in a ME context. It researches the perceptions of corporations, and individual and institutional investors regarding the phenomenon of social media for IR, given the particular cultural context. A conceptual model guiding future research is developed out of the analyzed data. Design/methodology/approach – The research approach is qualitative and exploratory in nature, as the aim is to analyze perceptions and opinions of participants, in order to develop a theoretical argument based on these. To this end, the study employs a qualitative methodology and interview data collection. Data are analyzed using qualitative research coding styles. Findings – Primary findings are encompassed in the theoretical frame...

Determinants of effective SoLoMo advertising from the perspective of social capital

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting attitudes toward social-local-mobile (SoLoMo) advertising from the perspective of social capital. Design/methodology/approach – There were 422 respondents filling out the survey instrument. The research model in this study is tested using SPSS 20 software. Findings – The results show that structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions of social capital have impacts on consumer attitudes toward SoLoMo advertising. Originality/value – It contributes to the literature by advancing our knowledge about determinants of effective SoLoMo advertising from the perspective of social capital. It also provides constructs that constitute the three dimensions in advertising. The author expands the understanding of the social relations under the context of business to consumer by adding substantial nuances to the understanding of the role of social capital in advertising. Finally, this study provides practical suggestions.

Scholars’ research-related personal information collections: A study of education and health researchers in a Kuwaiti University

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore the character of scholars’ research-related personal information collections (PICs). Design/methodology/approach – The study was based on in-depth interviews and office tours of 17 scholars in Education and Health Sciences in a Kuwaiti Higher Education Institution. Findings – Scholars’ research-related PICs were added to throughout the research life-cycle. They were huge, diverse, hybrid and fragmented. Key factors shaping the collections were the pressure to do research, time pressure in general, quality of space available, technology opportunity, lack of support from central services, the need to collect Arabic material, self-presentation and self-management. Older scholars and non-Kuwaiti nationals experienced the pressures slightly differently. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to scholars in two disciplines, in one institution in a developing world context. However the models produced are suggestive of factors involved in shapin...

Serendipity in legal information seeking behavior

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of serendipity in legal information seeking behavior of family law advocates, whom act in a challenging information environment that lacks published court rulings. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research using a web-based structured questionnaire, among Israeli family law advocates. Single stage systematic sampling, with random starting point and no recurring pattern of each sixth family law advocate on the Israel Bar Advocates List, was applied. Data from 135 Israeli family law advocates were used for analysis. Findings – Electronic information sources were found as most serendipitous; family law advocates were identified as super encounterers; four types of professional background concerns and seven legal professional contributions of the unexpected encounters with court rulings, were identified. Furthermore, findings support several frameworks presented on earlier information encounter literature. Research limitations/implicat...

Understanding microblog continuance usage intention: an integrated model

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors affecting users’ continuous microblog usage intention. In recent years, the number of microblog users has gradually declined. This research can reveal microblog users’ needs and provide the improvement direction of microblog services.,By integrating Wixom and Todd’s theoretical framework, the Uses and Gratifications Theory and the DeLone and McLean Information System Success Model, a conceptual model is proposed. In this model, gratification is defined as a kind of behavioral attitude, and satisfaction is viewed as an object-based attitude. The survey data were collected online and analyzed using the partial least squares method.,The results suggest that users’ continuance intention (behavioral intention) is jointly determined by users’ gratification (behavioral-based attitude) and their habitual microblog usage behavior. Likewise, gratification is positively affected by satisfaction (object-based attitude) which is a joint function of system quality and information quality (object-based beliefs).,In this research, Wixom and Todd’s principle is applied as the basic theoretical framework; gratification is viewed as a behavior attitude and user satisfaction is identified as an object-based attitude. This research model is a new lens for continuance usage research.

Visualization and analysis of SCImago Journal & Country Rank structure via journal clustering

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to visualize the structure of SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) coverage of the extensive citation network of Scopus journals, examining this bibliometric portal through an alternative approach, applying clustering and visualization techniques to a combination of citation-based links. Design/methodology/approach Three SJR journal-journal networks containing direct citation, co-citation and bibliographic coupling links are built. The three networks were then combined into a new one by summing up their values, which were later normalized through geo-normalization measure. Finally, the VOS clustering algorithm was executed and the journal clusters obtained were labeled using original SJR category tags and significant words from journal titles. Findings The resultant scientogram displays the SJR structure through a set of communities equivalent to SJR categories that represent the subject contents of the journals they cover. A higher level of aggregation by areas provides a broad view of the SJR structure, facilitating its analysis and visualization at the same time. Originality/value This is the first study using Persson’s combination of most popular citation-based links (direct citation, co-citation and bibliographic coupling) in order to develop a scientogram based on Scopus journals from SJR. The integration of the three measures along with performance of the VOS community detection algorithm gave a balanced set of clusters. The resulting scientogram is useful for assessing and validating previous classifications as well as for information retrieval and domain analysis.

Testing the stability of “wisdom of crowds” judgments of search results over time and their similarity with the search engine rankings

Abstract: Purpose – One of the under-explored aspects in the process of user information seeking behaviour is influence of time on relevance evaluation. It has been shown in previous studies that individual users might change their assessment of search results over time. It is also known that aggregated judgements of multiple individual users can lead to correct and reliable decisions; this phenomenon is known as the “wisdom of crowds”. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether aggregated judgements will be more stable and thus more reliable over time than individual user judgements. Design/methodology/approach – In this study two simple measures are proposed to calculate the aggregated judgements of search results and compare their reliability and stability to individual user judgements. In addition, the aggregated “wisdom of crowds” judgements were used as a means to compare the differences between human assessments of search results and search engine’s rankings. A large-scale user study was conducted with ...

Efficacy of a giant component in co-authorship networks: Evidence from a Southeast Asian dataset in economics

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a sparse and relatively small giant component (GC) will capture highly productive authors. Design/methodology/approach – The author used a geographically dispersed data set involving authors in the field of economics in ten countries in Southeast Asia and applied social network analysis methods to investigate the structure and dynamics of GCs. Findings – Results reveal that a GC, characterized by both low density and small size, can still capture a significant percentage (68 per cent of the top 25) of the most productive authors. There seems to be a topological backing for this occurrence. The number of direct connections (or “degree”) in the GC was correlated with research productivity, such that high-degree authors were almost twice as productive as low-degree authors. It is probable that productive authors having higher than average degrees may be the cause of the formation of the GC. The author hypothesize that irrespective of its size or s...

The structuring of information through search: sorting waste with Google

Abstract: Purpose: This study explores informational structures producing and organizing the construction of waste sorting in Sweden. It shows how the issue is constructed by it being searched for in Google and how this contributes to the specific informational texture of waste sorting in Sweden. It is guided by the following questions: Who are the main actors and which are the central topics featuring in Google results on popular, suggested searches for waste sorting in Sweden? What do the link relations between these tell us about the issue space that is formed around waste sorting in Sweden? How is the construction of the notions of waste sorting and waste shaped in the information available through Google’s features for related and other relevant searches? Design/methodology/approach: Waste sorting is discussed as a practice structured along moral rules and as a classification exercise. The study brings together two types of material, results from searches carried out in Google and lists of Google query suggestions for relevant search terms. These are analysed with a mixed method approach, uniting quantitative network analysis and qualitative content analysis of query suggestions. A sociomaterial approach theoretically grounds the analysis. Finding: Waste sorting in Sweden emerges as an issue that is characterised by dense networks of rules and regulation, focused in public authorities and government agencies, which in turn address consumers, waste management businesses and other authorities. Search engine use and waste sorting in Sweden are shown to be joined together in various mundane everyday life practices and practices of governance that become visible through the search engine in form of search results and suggested searches. The search engine is shown to work as a fluid classification system, which is also created and shaped by its use.Originality/value: The study offers a novel methodological approach to studying the informational structures of an issue and of its shaping through it being searched for. The sociomaterially grounded analysis of Google as a fluid classification system is original.

A study of user profile representation for personalized cross-language information retrieval

Abstract: Purpose – With an increase in the amount of multilingual content on the World Wide Web, users are often striving to access information provided in a language of which they are non-native speakers. The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive study of user profile representation techniques and investigate their use in personalized cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) systems through the means of personalized query expansion. Design/methodology/approach – The user profiles consist of weighted terms computed by using frequency-based methods such as tf-idf and BM25, as well as various latent semantic models trained on monolingual documents and cross-lingual comparable documents. This paper also proposes an automatic evaluation method for comparing various user profile generation techniques and query expansion methods. Findings – Experimental results suggest that latent semantic-weighted user profile representation techniques are superior to frequency-based methods, and are particularly suita...

Members of the Scottish Parliament on Twitter: good constituency men (and women)?

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of Twitter by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) for the provision of constituency-related information, or in support of their constituency service work. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis of 10,411 tweets sent by the 105 MSPs on Twitter during four weeks in early-2014. Findings – While there was some evidence of MSPs on Twitter acting as a promoter of local community interests and as a conduit for information on local policy issues and events, their tweets were dominated by the wider, national, political agenda and by the Scottish independence debate. Compared with their online behaviour as parliamentary candidates three years earlier, MSPs placed an even greater emphasis on the one-way broadcast of information to their followers. They were reluctant to respond to contentious local policy questions, or to enter into any visible, meaningful, political debate with their constituents. Research limitations/implications – Although the research was conducted seven months before the Scottish independence referendum on 18 September 2014, the independence debate still dominated proceedings on Twitter. It might, therefore, be appropriate to revisit MSPs’ use of Twitter at some point during a truer “peacetime” period. Originality/value – This is the first systematic content analysis of tweets sent by all MSPs on Twitter. It allows the authors to compare their actual Twitter use with that envisaged by the Scottish Parliament, as a way of MSPs communicating about their work and engaging with their constituents.

Improving retrieval relevance using users’ explicit feedback

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve users’ search results relevancy by manipulating their explicit feedback. Design/methodology/approach – CoRRe – an explicit feedback model integrating three popular feedback, namely, Comment-Rating-Referral is proposed in this study. The model is further enhanced using case-based reasoning in retrieving the top-5 results. A search engine prototype was developed using Text REtrieval Conference as the document collection, and results were evaluated at three levels (i.e. top-5, 10 and 15). A user evaluation involving 28 students was administered, focussing on 20 queries. Findings – Both Mean Average Precision and Normalized Discounted Cumulative Gain results indicate CoRRe to have the highest retrieval precisions at all the three levels compared to the other feedback models. Furthermore, independent t-tests showed the precision differences to be significant. Rating was found to be the most popular technique among the participants, producing the best precision ...