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Search activity and ratings of search difficulty and success were recorded and statistically analysed. The study was exploratory, and sought to establish whether there is a prima facie case for further systematic investigation of the selection and combination of variables studied here.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>Results revealed a number of interactions between individual differences, the use of different search strategies, and levels of perceived search difficulty and success. The findings also suggest that the open and closed nature of searches may affect these interactions. A conceptual model of these relationships is presented.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>Better understanding of factors affecting searching may help one to develop more effective search support, whether in the form of personalised search interfaces and mechanisms, adaptive systems, training or help systems. However, the findings reveal a complexity and variability suggesting that there is little immediate prospect of developing any simple model capable of driving such systems.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>There are several areas of this research that make it unique: the study's focus on a sample of the general public; its use of search logs linked to personal data; its development of a novel search strategy classifier; its temporal modelling of how searches are transformed over time; and its illumination of four different types of experienced searcher, linked to different search behaviours and outcomes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410910970285","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2009,7,25]],"date-time":"2009-07-25T07:09:45Z","timestamp":1248505785000},"page":"632-667","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Web searching by the \u201cgeneral public\u201d: an individual differences perspective"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"65","author":[{"given":"Nigel","family":"Ford","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Barry","family":"Eaglestone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Andrew","family":"Madden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Martin","family":"Whittle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022020620450210800_b1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brosnan, M.J. 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