Using document sets to promote query feedback

Complex information seeking tasks commonly occur over several query cycles. It has been established that when a query is informed by previous cycles it is more likely to be successful. Yet, many users prefer to create new queries with no reference to information discovered a priori. This paper explores how employing two document sets - one, a standard ranked list, to execute new query cycles and one to serve as a contextual record of relevant documents from which new queries can be invoked - improves the tendency of users to inform their redefined queries. An evaluation of the concept shows that users of the two-set arrangement, called Scrúdú, were more inclined to exploit feedback from previous query cycles.