Abstract
This study examined possible sources of differences in searching for information in hard copy (paper) reference books and electronic versions of the same document with powerful search tools. Two hypotheses were advanced—the amount of text displayed to the user at any one point in time and the book metaphor. To test this hypothesis, 30 users were asked to perform several search tasks utilizing each of three document modes (Hard Copy, Electronic Scrolling, Electronic Page Flipping) over three sessions under one of two page length (Short, Long) conditions. Results indicated that there were no differences in search time as a function of document mode; however, the two computer modes were preferred over hard copy. Results were interpreted in terms of user computer experience and the difficulty in using the hard copy documentation when the amount of index and text information displayed to the user is controlled.
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