Novice and expert information behavior: An eye tracking study from Qatar

Abstract

This paper presents findings of an exploratory pilot study investigating the information evaluation behavior of 30 researchers, including both novices and experts. Specifically, the participants’ approaches to evaluating the quality, credibility, and accuracy of scholarly materials were observed using Tobii eye tracking device hardware and triangulated with the participants’ qualitative written descriptions of how they evaluated the material. The initial findings include hypotheses about differences between novices and experts, and the utility of different gaze measurements for assessing information evaluation processes.