Readers' models of text structures: the case of academic articles

Abstract

This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. (1991) Readers' models of text structures. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 35, 913-925. Abstract: Hypertext is often described as a liberating technology, freeing readers and authors from the constraints of "linear" paper document formats. However there is little evidence to support such a claim and theoretical work in the text analysis domain suggests that readers form a mental representation of a paper document's structure that facilitates non-serial reading. The present paper examines this concept empirically for academic articles with a view to making recommendations for the design of a hypertext database. The results show that experienced journal readers do indeed possess such a generic representation and can use this to organise isolated pieces of text into a more meaningful whole.This representation holds for text presented on screens. Implications for hypertext document design are discussed.