Uncertainty

This entry illustrates there are many ways that uncertainty is defined, depicted and represented in library and information science research. As a central concept in information science, the evolution of our understanding of uncertainty mirrors the maturing of our appreciation of the complexity of information practices of people and systems in different contexts. This entry aims to give an appreciation of some of this conceptual complexity in relation to discussion of the concept within two core areas of library and information science: information retrieval and information seeking. The decades of debate and discussion surrounding uncertainty and its interrelationships with other core library and information science concepts demonstrates that it holds an enduring significance for library and information science research and practice