Discusses the problem of determining an adequate sample size for an information retrieval experiment comparing two systems on separate samples of requests. The application of statistical methods to information retrieval experiments is discussed, the Mann-Whitney U Test is used for determining minimum sample sizes, and variables and distributions…

Examines the use of various statistical techniques for generating domain-oriented multiword vocabulary terms for natural language database systems. Conclusions show the vocabulary clustering effect should be considered when making significance calculations and that a simple ratio of subject matter relative frequency to total sample relative…