{
  "altLabels": [
    "Known Item Search",
    "Known-Item Retrieval"
  ],
  "definition": "A search task in which the user is trying to find a particular known item rather than explore a topic or discover unknown relevant material.",
  "derivedRelations": [
    {
      "target": "tip-of-the-tongue-search",
      "type": "narrower"
    },
    {
      "note": "Tip-of-the-tongue search is a specialized form of known-item search where the searcher cannot reliably recall the item identifier.",
      "target": "tip-of-the-tongue-search",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    }
  ],
  "distinctions": [
    {
      "reason": "Known-item search targets a particular item already in the user's mind; ad hoc retrieval usually targets topical relevance for a new information need.",
      "statement": "Known-Item Search is not Ad Hoc Retrieval.",
      "target": "ad-hoc-retrieval",
      "targetLabel": "Ad Hoc Retrieval",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/ad-hoc-retrieval/"
    },
    {
      "reason": "Known-item search describes a user goal of finding a specific item; exact match is a matching method that may help when the user knows an exact title, identifier, or phrase.",
      "statement": "Known-Item Search is not Exact Match.",
      "target": "exact-match",
      "targetLabel": "Exact Match",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/exact-match/"
    },
    {
      "reason": "Known-item search describes the user's target; interactive search describes an interaction style that may include known-item, exploratory, or other goals.",
      "statement": "Known-Item Search is not Interactive Search.",
      "target": "interactive-search",
      "targetLabel": "Interactive Search",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/interactive-search/"
    }
  ],
  "id": "known-item-search",
  "kind": "Task",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/",
  "links": [
    {
      "label": "Combining Document Representations for Known-Item Search",
      "type": "definingReference",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1145/860435.860458"
    }
  ],
  "modifiedAt": "2026-09-14T06:43:46Z",
  "prefLabel": "Known-Item Search",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "Searchplex",
    "url": "https://searchplex.net/"
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "target": "retrieval",
      "type": "broader"
    },
    {
      "note": "Known-item search targets a particular item already in the user's mind; ad hoc retrieval usually targets topical relevance for a new information need.",
      "target": "ad-hoc-retrieval",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Known-item search describes a user goal of finding a specific item; exact match is a matching method that may help when the user knows an exact title, identifier, or phrase.",
      "target": "exact-match",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Known-item search describes the user's target; interactive search describes an interaction style that may include known-item, exploratory, or other goals.",
      "target": "interactive-search",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "target": "exact-match",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "interactive-search",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "web-search",
      "type": "related"
    }
  ],
  "representations": {
    "html": "https://id.searchplex.net/known-item-search/",
    "json": "https://id.searchplex.net/known-item-search.json",
    "jsonld": "https://id.searchplex.net/known-item-search.jsonld"
  },
  "scheme": "https://id.searchplex.net/scheme/",
  "scopeNote": "Known-item search is common in library, web, enterprise, and catalog search. It is distinct from ad hoc topical retrieval and exploratory or interactive search, because the user has a specific target item in mind.",
  "status": "published",
  "terms": [
    {
      "community": "industry",
      "label": "Navigational Search",
      "usage": "nearSynonym"
    }
  ],
  "uri": "https://id.searchplex.net/known-item-search/"
}