Verbalization Categories during Information Evaluation

This study aims to categorize verbalizations into four usability testing categories and investigate how these categories apply to the verbalization of the process for evaluating information by academic librarians. Individual strategies for online information evaluation prompt the investigation of behaviors and the various components involved in the process. The think-aloud protocol was used to gather verbal data from 55 Indonesian academic librarians who evaluated information from four websites. The categories of Explanation, Observation, and Procedure were applied to the verbalizations, providing insights into the evaluation process. A re-examination of the data led to the identification of a Comparison category for verbalizations expressing comparisons. The Reading category was excluded, as these verbalizations merely involved reading information without providing insight into the evaluation process. This study demonstrates that the categories of Explanation, Observation, and Procedure are applicable in the context of information evaluation, and identifies Comparison as an additional category relevant to this context.