Contextual information lookup and navigation

An apparatus comprising:

• one or more computer readable storage media;
• and
• an application for consuming or creating content including a contextual search component, the application embodied in program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable media that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to render a user interface comprising:
• a content view of content being consumed or created by a user, the content view including a contextual search element through which to engage the contextual search component;
• a preview view of contextual search results organized in a hierarchy based on source and rendered in response to receiving the contextual search results;
• and
• an interactive expanded view rendered in response to receiving an indication of a selection for an interactive expanded view from the preview view and including interface elements through which the user navigates the hierarchy.

A reader apparatus comprising:

• one or more computer-readable storage media;
• an input device;
• and:
• program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable media that, when executed by a processing system of the reader apparatus, direct the processing system to at least:
• render a document for display;
• receive, via the input device, an indication of an initial content selection in the document and a request for contextual search of the initial content selection;
• in response to the request for the contextual search, send the initial content selection and a selection context comprising an additional portion of text from the document to a contextual search service;
• receive one or more identified selection terms and contextual search results from the contextual search service;
• render a visual motif in the document to indicate the one or more identified selection terms;
• organize the contextual search results in a hierarchy based on source;
• and
• render an interactive view of the organized contextual search results.