The effect of linkage structure on retrieval performance in a hypertext-based bibliographic retrieval system

摘要

The authors investigated how linkage environments in a hypertext-based bibliographic retrieval system affect retrieval performance for novice and experienced searchers. Two systems, one with inter-record linkages to authors and descriptors and one that also included title and abstract keywords, were tested. No significant differences in retrieval performance and system usage were found for most search tests. However, the enhanced system did provide better performance where title and abstract keywords provided the most direct access to relevant records. The findings have implications for the design of bibliographic information retrieval systems using hypertext linkages.