This paper is highly cited because the research was one of, and still is one of, the few large-scale studies of people using Web search engines to address the everyday issues of their lives, i.e., real people using real systems to address real information needs.  In this respect, it was ground breaking research; out of the lab and into "real life."

  Does it describe a new discovery or new methodology that's useful to others? 

The research combined several existing methodologies in some new and interesting ways.  It was the first research to use transaction logs (i.e., recordings of user and system interactions) on a major Web search engine.  We also utilized a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to add robustness to our research results. Our findings are, and have been, useful in a variety of areas related to the use of the Web to address information problems.  These areas include: user searching, information system design, e*commerce, medical, job seeking, and social policy. If you search on ISI Web of Science, this research is cited in a wide spectrum of research journals.

My co-authors and I worked with the Excite search engine beginning in 1997 to obtain the original data set.  At the time, Excite was the 5th most popular site on the Web.  Since that time we expanded the research, obtaining several additional data samples from Excite and other search engines.  We have continued our research in the Web searching area.

  Could you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?

The research results highlighted for the first time the information needs of real users and the methods by which these people attempt to address their needs on the Web.  The interactions with Web search engines are generally short and simple.  The information needs by the public are extremely diverse, which is a challenge to the designers of Web search engines and Web portals and sites.  Finally, despite all the press on the subject, pornography as a percentage of total Web searching is fairly small. Most people have real information needs that affect all aspects of their lives.

Jim Jansen
Assistant Professor
School of Information Sciences and Technology
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA, USA