User Information Needs Through Query Reformulation

A query is an entry point to a search engine so by examining the user queries we can understand a lot about the user behaviour. In this paper, we split the user queries into ten types. Four types of these queries were already defined by (Liu 2010), and six of them are our contribution. These queries types are validated from the empirical analysis of the user search log. In this paper, we will examine query reformulations and user behaviour in response to these reformulations. To fit the whole scenario in perspective, we need to use a model to justify our study. Previously we build a model EISE (Extended information goals, Search strategy and evaluation threshold) model (Asad 2016). Based on the ISE model (information goals, Search strategy and evaluation threshold) (Liu 2010) adapted from the information foraging theory (IFT) (Pirolli and card 1995)( Pirolli and card 1999). In this study, we will only focus on the information goals from our model to understand query reformulations. Search strategy and evaluation thershold will not be the subject of this paper.