Coming across information serendipitously - Part 2: A classification framework

Purpose: In ‘Coming across information serendipitously: Part 1 – A process model’ we identified common elements of researchers’ experiences of ‘coming across information serendipitously.’ These experiences involve a mix of unexpectedness and insight and lead to a valuable, unanticipated outcome. In this article, the elements of unexpectedness insight and value form a framework for subjectively classifying whether or not a particular experience might be considered serendipitous and, if so, just how serendipitous.