Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Computer Science, Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Flinders University, School of Informatics and Engineering. / Typescript bound. Includes bibliographical references: (leaves 311-329) Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-93). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 47).

Thesis (M.C.S.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-137). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Research paper (M.L.I.S.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Georgia State University, 2005. / Title from title screen. Raj Sunderraman, committee chair; Anu G. Bourgeois, Yanqing Zhang, committee members. Electronic text (92 p. : ill. (some col.)) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed May 25, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-58).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

M.Inf. / This research investigated the role played by Web-based interfacing in improving online searching. A comparative analysis was undertaken to investigate end-user searching in both conventional online systems and Web-based services. The results of the analysis necessitated further improvements in Web interfacing. In fact, this study identified areas in which online searching poses problems and finally suggested features which need to be incorporated into further developments of Web interfaces to online systems.

From music fans finding new songs in a genre, graphic designers brainstorming ways to depict a message, and journalists scrutinizing documents for angles, people often conduct exploratory searches to understand complex topics. In contrast to traditional search, which is done to quickly answer simple questions, exploratory search is an iterative learning process that involves understanding an information space in order to find useful pieces of information. Exploratory search is composed of two, closely-related sub-processes: (1) information foraging, choosing sources and collecting information, and (2) sensemaking, organizing this information into a mental framework. Both of these sub-processes are cognitively taxing and heavily rely on our memory. For information foraging, users need to read long, complex resources and recognize useful pieces of information. For sensemaking, as users encounter more information, it becomes harder to relate new information to their current knowledge. The spreading activation theory of memory purports that the information we encounter materializes in our working memory, which spreads activation into our long-term memory, enabling us to recall related semantic information to make sense of newly found information. From this theory, this thesis introduces three strategies for creating organizations that better stimulate memory: (1) constructing overviews that are association networks that mimic our memory's structure, (2) incorporating our prior knowledge in these overviews, and (3) providing concrete information to help us make sense of abstract ideas. This thesis demonstrates how to employ these strategies through three exploratory search systems across three domains: (A) SymbolFinder helps graphic designers explore visual symbols for abstract concepts, (B) TastePaths helps music fans explore artists within a genre, and (C) AngleKindling supports journalists explore story angles for a press release. Through this body of work, I demonstrate that by designing exploratory search systems to stimulate our memory, we can make acquiring and making sense of knowledge less cognitively demanding.