Information Horizons Mapping

Information Horizons Mapping is a research method developed by Diane Sonnenwald and colleagues, formalized in their 2001 paper in The New Review of Information Behaviour Research, for studying how people seek information within a specific context. Grounded in Sonnenwald's theory of information horizons — the idea that, in any given situation, an individual perceives a 'horizon' of information resources (people, documents, tools, systems) that they may consult — the method asks participants to draw a map of those sources for a particular information need and to explain it. By analyzing which sources appear, how close or central they are placed, how they relate to one another, and why some are included or excluded, researchers gain a situated, participant-centered picture of information-seeking behaviour that goes beyond simple source-use surveys.