{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T13:10:44Z","timestamp":1785244244597,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,15]],"date-time":"2025-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744675200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012456","name":"National Social Science Fund of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["22ATQ002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["22ATQ002"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012456","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Information Science"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Exploratory search is considered challenging for users due to its open-ended nature, and ambiguity of information needs. Clarifying exploratory searchers\u2019 information needs is fundamental to design information environments that provide adaptive support. Since tasks are a representation of information needs, this study investigates the characteristics of exploratory tasks in different fields through multiple attributes to reveal exploratory searchers\u2019 information needs. Repeated surveys were conducted in three representative fields: healthcare, artificial intelligence, and integrated circuit. Content analysis was used to identify 16 attributes. Learning and investigation differ in 14 attributes, and exploratory subtasks differ significantly in\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Source, Domain knowledge, Cognitive complexity<\/jats:italic>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Search frequency<\/jats:italic>\n                    . Different composition of user knowledge background leads to differences in two attributes of\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Motivation<\/jats:italic>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Cognitive complexity<\/jats:italic>\n                    , and difference in the correlation between\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Motivation<\/jats:italic>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Interdependence<\/jats:italic>\n                    . The findings help researchers design distinct exploratory tasks with domain characteristics, and help practitioners develop task- and domain-adaptive exploratory search systems.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/01655515251330611","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,15]],"date-time":"2025-04-15T05:59:31Z","timestamp":1744696771000},"page":"1226-1241","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Characterising exploratory search tasks: Evidence from different fields"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"52","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8518-6179","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yaxi","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management, Xidian University, China"},{"name":"School of Public Administration, Xiangtan University, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chunxiu","family":"Qin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management, Xidian University, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xubu","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management, Xidian University, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7016-4583","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jiangping","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Information Science, University of North Texas, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hongle","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management, Xidian University, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Junbo","family":"Mao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Administration, Xiangtan University, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1108\/EL-11-2023-0264"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.23617"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.24623"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.23484"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-031-02260-9"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.5090130405"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ipm.2019.102073"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ipm.2023.103453"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ipm.2008.07.005"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/1121949.1121979"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apergo.2024.104367"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.24801"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ipm.2021.102821"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ipm.2022.103158"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/101655515231169961"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/01655515241284046"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ipm.2018.01.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.21647"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.21035"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ipm.2024.103794"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3223045"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.24640"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3588319"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.softx.2023.101312"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.20127"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_27_2","first-page":"133","article-title":"Anomalous states of knowledge as a basis for information retrieval","volume":"5","author":"Belkin NJ.","year":"1980","unstructured":"Belkin NJ. 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