The process of serendipity in knowledge work

Exploring Opportunities to Facilitate Serendipity in Search

“…Our study data loosely supports both main perspectives on serendipity: the unexpected encounter [17], and the purposeful awareness of cues [20]. In both cases, however, there was element of 'surprise' in the process and also there was presence of 'insight' where user made the connection [16].…”

“…Beyond simply encountering new information [11], McCay-Peet & Toms [17] describe serendipity as an event involving unexpectedness and a bi-sociation (mental connection). Conversely, Rubin et al [20] described serendipity as happening when 1) someone is prepared to see cues, 2) an unexpected event occurs, and 3) a connection leads to a fortuitous outcome.…”

On serendipity in science: discovery at the intersection of chance and wisdom

“…In light of qualitative data acquired through interviews with academic researchers, artists, library users and laypeople, several versions of a process model of serendipity have been developed (Cunha 2005;Lawley & Tompkins 2008;McCay-Peet & Toms 2010;Rubin et al 2011;Makri and Blandford 2012). 8 These process models all include the outcome as a necessary step in serendipitous discovery.…”

Audiovisual Narrative Creation and Creative Retrieval: How Searching for a Story Shapes the Story

“…The micro level analysis of media professionals' search and retrieval practices should be seen in the light of recent research interest in serendipitous search (Makri, Blandford, Woods, Sharples, & Maxwell, 2014;McCay-Peet & Toms, 2010), in relation to studies of media production that highlight the agency of media professionals who create audiovisual content. In line with Havens, Lotz, and Tinic (2009), the analysis aims to understand more quotidian practices of media production by studying industrial processes in conjunction with cultural processes.…”

“…"super encounterers" [Erdelez, 1999] would have "prepared minds" and are open to recognize serendipitous findings) or by triggers embedded in the search system. The literature focuses on how to manage serendipity by optimizing the serendipitous finding of relevant information (Makri et al, 2014;McCay-Peet & Toms, 2010). There seems, however, to be an inherent paradox built into this notion of serendipity management: how can users manage something accidental?…”