Title: Vocabulary and knowledge dimensions of online consumer reviews: a replication study and refinement

Authors: Makoto Nakayama; Maria Madlberger

Addresses: Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media, DePaul University, 243 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60604, USA ' Department of Business and Management, Webster Vienna Private University, Praterstrasse 23, 1020 Vienna, Austria

Abstract: Research on online consumer reviews examines drivers of review helpfulness, yet sheds less insight into the impact of reviews' vocabulary and knowledge on helpfulness. Our study posits that the body of online community knowledge is reflected by a group of relevant terms, especially nouns, which establish three different knowledge areas. We replicate a seminal study published in 2010 by applying a comparable methodology in terms of sample selection and data analysis, complemented with expert reviews. We compare the variety (breadth) and counts (depth) of nouns in consumer and expert reviews. The results show that consumers appreciate expert terms more when their knowledge breadth is lesser but their knowledge depth is greater. In contrast, consumers appreciate consumer terms more when their knowledge breadth is greater, but their knowledge depth is lesser. The assessment of vocabulary can be a promising way to shed light on what enlightens consumers.

Keywords: vocabulary; knowledge; online consumer reviews; review helpfulness; community knowledge; attribute terms; knowledge breadth; knowledge depth; replication; text mining.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.154661

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2026 Vol.20 No.3, pp.298 - 318

Received: 12 Sep 2025
Accepted: 11 Nov 2025
Published online: 09 Jul 2026 *

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