Investigating the Uncertainty of Users in Web retrieval

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lack of certainty or uncertainty in the search and retrieval activities of the Web among users of the Digital Library of the Iranian National Library.
An analytical survey method and a data gathering tool were designed by a researcher that validity and reliability were measured. The questionnaire at three levels examined the lack of certainty regarding information retrieval activities, information retrieval problems and channels and information resources with respect to age, gender, IT skills, educational level and field of study.
The results showed that the average uncertainty among users at all three levels was too moderate. The average uncertainty of users in data retrieval activities is less than the uncertainty about the resources and channels of information. The average uncertainty about data recovery problems is also higher than the uncertainty in information retrieval activities. According to other findings, there was no significant relationship between demographic characteristics of users and their uncertainty.