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Introduction
The terminology of library and information science (LIS) contains concepts that are used frequently but analyzed seldom in sufficient detail. Examples of such concepts include information need (Savolainen, 2012) and information use (Fleming-May, 2014). The list can be continued by adding the concepts of information seeking strategy (ISS) and information search strategy. They are used commonly in LIS, but paradoxically, most studies have devoted no attention to what is meant by “strategy” in the context of information seeking and searching. Overall, “strategic” and “tactical” seem to be fundamental qualities of information seeking and searching processes, manifesting themselves in the ways in which such processes are oriented towards a goal. Strategies orient information seeking by suggesting what information is important and what to ignore, and how to access the information that is considered important or desirable (Hjørland, 2011, pp. 599-601). It is obvious that the idea of strategies as orienting factors crystallizes much of what strategic action is about, be it dealing with web searching or information seeking from human sources. This suggests that strategies for information seeking and searching are important factors indicating how people plan their search processes, select or exclude information sources, and finally stop the search process.
Since the 1970s, LIS researchers have developed a number of typologies describing the features of search strategies and search tactics (Bates, 1979b; Harter and Rogers-Peters, 1985; Marchionini, 1995; Thatcher, 2006; Smith, 2012). In addition, there are diverse classifications specifying strategies used in information seeking (Belkin et al., 1993; Xie, 2000; Sabbar and Xie, 2016). However, with the increasing number of diverse approaches information seeking and searching strategies, it has become more difficult to capture an overview of these phenomena. While conceptual multiplicity may signify the dynamic nature of a research field, the existence of multiple constructs has a downside. To rephrase Dervin (2003), it manifests itself in an increasing chaos and overload “which plague researchers within and between fields”. Because of this, researchers are “drowning in concepts, variables, methods, theories; and in an avalanche of contradictory findings” (Dervin, 2003).
The present study makes an attempt to add conceptual clarity by examining how researches have approached the information seeking and searching strategies. To this end, a conceptual analysis was made by making use of...