Using quality criteria to assist in information searching

One of the challenges facing today’s information consumer is how to find information that meets their personal needs, within an acceptable time frame, and at an appropriate level of quality. One potential method for assisting these consumers is to employ a personalisable, explicit definition of quality to focus information search results. In this paper we discuss the feasibility of this approach by demonstrating how a consumer-refined definition of quality can be used to drive an information search, initially within a closed-world environment. This paves the way for further research, transferring lessons learned and techniques developed to an open, heterogeneous environment.