The loss of domain knowledge in user search queries: A query log analysis of a botanical retrieval system

This study analyzed the user search queries of an experiment conducted on a full-text botanical retrieval system. Search terms were extracted and categorized. Term frequencies in each category were calculated. Search terms were compared with target documents. The results reveal preferences for the kinds of information used in search queries, that search queries and document representations use very different format and vocabulary, and that the domain knowledge used in user search queries is lost when such queries are interpreted by the system.