[Asis-l] Call for papers: Special topic issue of Information Processing and Management on User-centred evaluation of IR systems

[Ian Ruthven]

[Apologies for cross-posting]

CALL FOR PAPERS
INFORMATION PROCESSING & MANAGEMENT: An International Journal
Special Topic Issue on
User-centred Evaluation of Information Retrieval Systems
http://www.cis.strath.ac.uk/~ir/ipm

Guest Editors
Pia Borlund, Royal School of Library and Information Science, Aalborg, 
Denmark.
Ian Ruthven, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Introduction to special issue topic
Evaluation has always been a strong element of Information Retrieval 
(IR) research, much of our focus being on how we evaluate IR algorithms. 
As a research field we have benefited greatly from initiatives such as 
Cranfield, TREC, CLEF and INEX that have added to our knowledge of how 
to create test collections, the reliability of system-based evaluation 
criteria and our understanding of how to interpret the results of an 
algorithmic evaluation.  In contrast, evaluations whose main focus is 
the user experience of searching using IR systems have not yet reached 
the same level of maturity.  Such evaluations are complex to create and 
assess due to the increased number of variables to incorporate within 
the study, the lack of standard tools available (for example, test 
collections) and the difficulty of selecting appropriate evaluation 
criteria for study.

In spite of the complicated nature of user-centred evaluations, this 
form of evaluation is necessary to understand the effectiveness of 
individual IR systems and user search interactions.  The growing 
incorporation of users into the evaluation process reflects the changing
nature of IR within society; for example, more and more people have 
access to IR systems through Internet search engines but have little 
training or guidance in how to use these systems effectively. Similarly, 
new types of search system such as recommender systems and interactive 
IR facilities are becoming available to wide groups of end-users.

This special topic issue will address the current and future position of 
user-centred evaluation within IR and reflect the increased interest in, 
use of, and need for user-centred evaluations.  The special topic issue 
will act as a focus for dissemination in best practice in the area of 
user-centred evaluations by increasing our understanding of appropriate 
methodologies, our awareness of the effectiveness of evaluation measures 
and in raising new research directions in the user side of IR.

Submissions
Submissions for the special topic issue should be high-quality 
manuscripts on the theoretical, empirical and methodological issues
surrounding user-centred evaluations.  Submissions that describe 
evaluations will be welcome as long as they contribute to our
understanding of how to perform a user evaluation.  Submissions should 
describe original research and not be under consideration in any other 
forum.  All submissions should be formatted according to the Information 
Processing & Management guidelines for papers, references, and citations 
and should be submitted using the electronic submission site.  Submitted 
articles will be reviewed according to the Information Processing & 
Management reviewing criteria and appropriateness to the special topic 
issue.  Full details of paper submission and reviewing are available at 
http://www.cis.strath.ac.uk/~ir/ipm


We particularly welcome submissions on, but not limited to, the
following aspects of user evaluations:
•	Methodologies for user-centred evaluations
•	Evaluation measures for user-centred evaluations
•	Theoretical issues in user-centred evaluations
•	User-centred test collections
•	Evaluations of user interfaces and interactive IR systems
•	User models and evaluation
•	Evaluations of non-traditional information access systems

Important dates
Submission of articles: Friday 7th April 2006
Notification to authors: Friday 30th June 2006
Final version of accepted papers: Friday 11th August 2006

All questions regarding submissions should be directed to the 
specialtopic issue Guest Editors: Pia Borlund (pb at db.dk) and Ian 
Ruthven (ir at cis.strath.ac.uk)




-- 
Ian Ruthven
Department of Computer and Information Sciences
University of Strathclyde
Glasgow G1 1XH
Email: Ian.Ruthven at cis.strath.ac.uk
Tel: +44 141 548 3098
Fax: +44 141 548 4523
http://www.cis.strath.ac.uk/~ir
Information Interaction in Context (IIiX) - http://www.db.dk/IIiX/