Reception of academic web texts: experimental study

The results of an experimental study are discussed, the purpose of which is to determine the general and specific principles of the reception of a academic text posted on the Internet, taking into account a group of communicative and technological factors, including the possibility of using interactive elements that control attention and perception of the text (affordances), and the use of extralinguistic material elements. Through a combination of methods – oculographic research, user experience analysis (UX-observation) and semi-structured interview – the data were obtained indicating the areas of attention and the structure of reading scientific Internet articles by users, as well as tactics of interacting with the text and understanding its content, depending on the presence or absence of affordances. The readers of scientific texts have academic affiliations and different experience of interacting with scientific materials. The authors come to the conclusion that it is necessary to take into account two groups of data in the course of studying the reception of a academic text: visual fixation on a text element / behavioral reaction to it and verbal representation of a text element during an interview. The paper draws preliminary inferences about how the readers perceive scientific Internet articles depending on the technological organization of the context. In conclusion, the requirements are offered for the organization of the main stage of the study.