Discussion of commercial document/information retrieval models focuses on the fact that document retrieval, specifically access to intellectual content, is a complex process which is most strongly influenced by the size of the document collection, the type of search (exhaustive, existence or sample) and the determinacy of document representation.…

Discussion of networked information retrieval and the interoperability of heterogeneous information-retrieval systems shows how differences concerning search operators and database schemas can be handled by applying data-abstraction concepts in combination with uncertain inference. Highlights include data types, data independence, schema…

Presents a new model for combining multiple sources of evidence in database merging based on logistic regression, and occurring only when ranks are available as a key to be used to merge different ranked lists obtained by various retrieval schemes. Results indicate better retrieval effectiveness than other approaches. (LRW)

Discussion of commercial document retrieval focuses on a two-part searching procedure based on identifiable partitions. Topics include system growth and the effects of information technology; content searching on large databases, including partitioning; the granularity of context; resolving queries; document retrieval and the World Wide Web; and…

Discusses database interfaces and explains that collaboration is an important aspect of searching online information retrieval systems that requires explicit computerized support. Collaboration in physical and in digital libraries is discussed and an example of a system that supports collaboration between browsers, ARIADNE, is described. (105…

Using a newspaper article database, this study analyzed the effects of ellipsis and anaphor resolution on proximity searching in a full-text database; 154 keyword pairs in different categories were created. Findings indicate that some resolution method might be developed only for proper name phrases to support keyword-based full-text information…

Presents a probabilistic technique to retrieve passages from texts having a large size or heterogeneous semantic content. Results of experiments comparing the probabilistic technique to one based on a text segmentation algorithm revealed that the passage size affects passage retrieval performance; text organization and query generality may have an…

Describes a study that compared a hypertext-based bibliographic retrieval system with a traditional Boolean-based system. Results, conducted with novice and experienced searchers, revealed that the Boolean system performed better for tasks with a large number of relevant items, and that searcher experience level did not play a significant role.…

Compares support vector machines (SVMs) to Rocchio, Ide regular and Ide dec-hi algorithms in information retrieval (IR) of text documents using relevancy feedback. If the preliminary search is so poor that one has to search through many documents to find at least one relevant document, then SVM is preferred. Includes nine tables. (Contains 24…

Reports on two studies in the second Text Retrieval Conference (TREC-2) program that investigated the effect on retrieval performance of combination of multiple representations of TREC topics. Six methods of query combinations and the combination of the same queries on different databases are examined. Results show that combining evidence from…

Describes the University of California at Berkeley's participation in the TREC (Text Retrieval Conference) interactive track experiments. Highlights include results of searches on two systems, Cheshire II and ZPRISE; system design goals and implementation; precision and recall results; search questions by topic and system; and results of…

Investigates the search behavior of CD-ROM database users in Zagreb (Croatia) libraries: one group needed a minimum of technical assistance, and the other was completely independent. Highlights include the use of questionnaires and transaction log analysis and the need for end-user education. The questionnaire and definitions of search process…

Discusses cross-language, multilingual, and bilingual information retrieval on the Web; evaluates retrieval effectiveness of indexing and search strategies based on test collections from CLEF (Cross-Language Evaluation Forum) in English, French, German, and Italian; and suggests and evaluates database merging strategies. Appendices include…

Discusses a method for organizing and augmenting the data in a complex database to make automatic retrieval possible. Presents an example of the method using a database of information on the nature and use of fungicides. Initial results of trials with potential users suggest that the system can produce relevant responses to queries. (Author/AEF)

Examines the effects of database assistance on clinical problem solving across three cohorts of medical students and two database interfaces. Discusses the relationship between personal domain knowledge and problem solving, personal domain knowledge and database searching, and comparisons of different interface styles in information retrieval…