Search results are typically presented in a vertical list which includes relevant items or search hits. The collection of these items is called a document surrogate.

Document Surrogate

KWIC extractions or query oriented summaries refer to the presentation of summarized search results that account for searchers' query terms. Summaries include texts that contain query terms from the retrieved documents. Searchers' queries can typically be resolved by viewing query oriented summaries alone. 

Keyword-in-context (KWIC) or Query Oriented Summaries

Highlighting query terms refers to changing the display of query texts to make them more noticeable (e.g., bolding, adding colored backgrounds to query terms). Highlighting can appear in both search result listings and the retrieved documents. If the texts are lengthy, one way to highlight query terms is to use the scrollbar on the web page to show the location of the highlighted terms. Another way is to display an overview of the location of the highlighted terms.

Highlighting Query Terms

Empirical research suggested that specific features besides standard data about retrieved documents can be useful for search result listings 

Additional Features of Results Listings

Several empirical studies suggested that search results ordering has important effects on users' experiences. Users typically expect the most relevant answers to be on top of retrieved results, and users are less likely to click on results when this expectation is violated.

The Effects of Search Results Ordering

Presentation of search results is an important part of search interfaces. Empirical research has provided support for several common ways of presenting search results.

University of Rochester

A search interface is a type of graphical user interface that helps a user retrieve information.

Search Interfaces

Hearst, M. A. (2009). Search user interfaces. Cambridge University Press. [https://searchuserinterfaces.com/book/]

Search User Interfaces

- Offer informative feedback
- Support user control
- Reduce short-term memory load
- Provide shortcuts for skilled users
- Reduce errors; offer simple error handling
- Strive for consistency
- Permit easy reversal of actions
- Design for closure

Design Guidelines for User Interfaces

Search interfaces are evaluated based on usability:
- Effectiveness
- Efficiency
- Satisfaction

Evaluation of Search Interfaces

To design successful interfaces, it is necessary to understand the information-seeking process and strategies that people engage in when they are searching for information. Here are a few of the major theoretical models of information seeking:
- The Standard Model of Information Seeking
- The Cognitive Model of Information Seeking
- The Dynamic (Berry-Picking) Model
- Information seeking in stages
- Information seeking as a strategic process
- Sensemaking

Models of the Information Seeking Process

Personalization in search means that search results should take into account the reality that people's demands, goals, and tastes differ.

Personalization in Search

Using categories to sort, filter, and group search results, table-of-contents views, faceted navigation and search, and clustering are all covered in Integrating Navigation with Search, which concludes with the benefits of categories vs. clusters in search and browsing interfaces.

Integrating Navigation with Search

It is important to understand user's search needs and queries to support their complex information-seeking tasks.

Supporting the Search Process

Presentation of Search Results

Since the human perceptual system is highly attuned to image, incorporating visual information into the display using techniques from the field of information visualization would be helpful to the search process, which makes the communication more rapidly and effectively.

Information Visualization for Search Interface

Users often go through a cycle of query reformulation, which means they start with an initial query, make changes to the query if they do not find the desired information, and repeat this cycle until users are satisfied. 

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