Search moves and tactics for image retrieval in the field of journalism: A pilot study

People engage in multiple types of information-seeking strategies within an information-seeking episode. The objective of this pilot study is to investigate search moves and tactics made by end-users when searching for visual information. The pilot study involves 5 undergraduate students from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University using the AccuNet/AP Photo Archive to retrieve specific, general, and subjective photos. Data were collected through think-aloud protocols and transaction logs. The results outline an overall picture of the five searchers’ image searching behavior in the field of journalism and show that there is a connection between the types of images searched and the patterns of search moves and tactics employed by the searchers.