A Study on the Relationship between Perceived Usefulness and Satisfaction with Query Reformulation Tools

Abstract

This study aims to study the relationship between perceived usefulness and satisfaction with query reformulation tools in the Science Direct Database. A descriptive analytic method was used to study the relationship between variables; the data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The participants were selected among the students of Information Sciences in Islamic Azad University of Research and Science Center of Khuzestan (n = 28). The findings showed that users main reason for query reformulation was not having enough time to investigate all retrieved results (Mean = 4.66). They also showed that based on perceived satisfaction and usefulness, the users used the query tools which bounded them to the topic (Mean = 3.92 for usefulness and M = 3.83 for satisfaction). In addition, Pearson's correlation co-efficiency (r = 0.939) at (0.001) significance level showed that users perceived usefulness from query reformulation tools increased satisfaction. Perceiving the usefulness of query reformulation tools improves the use of results. However, the usefulness is not the same for all tools and needs to be reviewed.Keywords: Query Reformulation, Search Usefulness, Search Satisfaction, Search Assessments.Whenever a user is in need of information, he has to produce information or get use of information produced by others (Babaee, 2003). If it is possible to define information production in the realm of thought and research, getting use of others' information calls for a chain of complicated activities which are located in the field of the search for information. The search for information is an imprecise process. When users enter a system of accessing information, often they have a vague perception of the way they can access the information. The vague stream of accessing information in different resources and media in itself does not produce value for those who need it, and likewise, the information does not flow toward people based on their need, rather, they themselves go for information in different contexts and look for it.In electrical information resources, the most important factor of mutual relationship between users (one who has a potential need for information) and system (an organized environment with potential information to meet users' information need) is the "user interface". If