5. Query Specification

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To formulate a query, a user must select collections, metadata descriptions, or information sets against which the query is to be matched, and must specify words, phrases, descriptors, or other kinds of information that can be compared to or matched against the information in the collections. As a result, the system creates a set of documents, metadata, or other information type that match the query specification in some sense and displays the results to the user in some form.

Shneiderman [#!shneiderman97!#] identifies five primary human-computer interaction styles. These are: command language , form fillin , menu selection , direct manipulation , and natural language . Each technique has been used in query specification interfaces and each has advantages and disadvantages. These are described below in the context of Boolean query specification. query specification!Boolean queries|( Boolean query specification|(

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