Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal Statement
I am a Professor of Information Seeking and Retrieval in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences.
I work in the area of information seeking and retrieval; understanding how (and why) people search for information and how electronic systems might help them search more successfully. This brings in a wide range of research including theoretical research on the design and modelling of information access systems, empirical research on interfaces and user interaction and research on the methodology of evaluating information access systems.
Recent research has included interface design research to help children search for information, information seeking studies on information poverty within marginalised groups and studies on how people use online information to create a sense of happiness.
Expertise & Capabilities
- information seeking theory
- interface design for information access
- user studies
Teaching Interests
- information retrieval
- information seeking
- qualitative and quantitative research methods
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Abduction, explanation and relevance feedback, University of Glasgow
Award Date: 1 Jan 2001
Master of Science, University of Birmingham
Award Date: 1 Jan 1993
Bachelor of Science, Computing Science, University of Glasgow
Award Date: 1 Jan 1992
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Participatory Harm Auditing Workbenches and Methodologies (PHAWM)
Moshfeghi, Y. (Principal Investigator), Azzopardi, L. (Co-investigator) & Ruthven, I. (Co-investigator)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
1/05/24 → 31/01/28
Project: Research
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Developing a theory of information resilience with constituency case workers
Nicol, E. (Principal Investigator) & Ruthven, I. (Co-investigator)
1/10/23 → 30/09/26
Project: Research Studentship - Internally Allocated
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Grey digital divide: factors associated with older people’s use of the internet for financial transactions in the UK
Thomas, D., Chowdhury, G. & Ruthven, I., 5 Jan 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Documentation.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Information avoidance: A critical conceptual review. An Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) paper
Hicks, A., McKenzie, P., Bronstein, J., Hyldegård, J., Ruthven, I. & Widén, G., Jan 2025, In: Annual Review of Information Science and Technology. 76, 1, p. 326-346 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Online Information Disclosure and Information Privacy Practices During Significant Life Transitions: Scoping Review Data Extraction Tool
Gibson, R. C. (Creator), Meiklem, R. (Contributor), Moncur, W. (Contributor) & Ruthven, I. (Contributor), University of Strathclyde, 3 Feb 2025
DOI: 10.15129/8b9ff16f-cc41-4d65-b0ff-625c1e4ec7a0
Dataset
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The information needs of young first time mothers from areas of multiple deprivations
Buchanan, S. (Creator), Ruthven, I. (Contributor), Jardine, C. (Contributor) & Nicol, E. (Creator), UK Data Service , 12 Mar 2019
Dataset
Prizes
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Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Ruthven, I. (Recipient), 2010
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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IJIDI Outstanding paper award
Oduntan, O. O. (Recipient) & Ruthven, I. (Recipient), 2020
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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12th International Conference on Conceptions of Library and Information Science (Event)
Innocenti, P. (Editor), Nicol, E. (Editor), Pharo, N. (Editor) & Ruthven, I. (Editor)
2 Jun 2025 → 5 Jun 2025Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Membership of peer review panel or committee
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Information in Crisis workshop. Information Seeking in Context Conference (ISIC) 2024
Nicol, E. (Organiser), Ruthven, I. (Organiser), Hicks, A. (Organiser) & Noone, R. (Organiser)
29 Aug 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organiser of special symposia
Impacts
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Improved user experience of the Europeana Digital Library through user-centred evaluations
Ruthven, I. (Participant), Dobreva, M. (Participant) & (Participant)
Impact: Impact - for External Portal › Culture and creativity, Public understanding, information and debate
File -
Understanding the Information Needs of Young First Time Mothers from Areas of Multiple Deprivation
(Participant) & Ruthven, I. (Participant)
Impact: Impact - for External Portal › Health and welfare - new products, guidelines and services, Professional practice, training and standards