Presents a method for using the amount of semantic information in search-query terms as a weighting factor in constructing a fuzzy relation of resemblance between retrieved items in information retrieval online. Two tables, two figures, and a reference list accompany the text. (Author/JL)

Empirical significance of document partitions is investigated as a function of index term-weight and similarity thresholds. Results show the same empirically preferred partitions can be detected by two independent strategies: an analysis of cluster-based retrieval analysis and an analysis of regularities in the underlying structure of the document…

Analyzes the formal properties, structural consequences, similarities, and differences of link indicators, brackets, and cohesion separators in the query languages employed in information retrieval. Eleven figures, a 32-item reference list, and appendices on Extended Backus Notation and the formal definition of the Formal Relevance Language are…

Describes large scale experiments to test the value of index term weighting based on relevance information, and presents results showing that weighting leads to remarkable improvements in retrieval performance. (Author/CWM)

Describes a model of an information retrieval system based on a thesaurus with weights. Appropriate terms are defined, and inclusiveness and two other fundamental properties of the system are presented. (CWM)

Describes a study that tested the effectiveness of a thesaurus as a search-aid in free text searching of a Finnish full text database. Linguistic and conceptual approaches are discussed; five search modes are explained; recall and precision are examined; and the use of proximity operators is discussed. (Contains 29 references.) (LRW)

The experimental best match information retrieval system described is based on serial file organization. Documents and queries are characterized by fixed length bit strings (generated by automatic and manual methods) and character-by-character term match is preceeded by bit string search to eliminate documents which cannot satisfy query.…

An iterative method for information retrieval is presented using searchonyms found from previously retrieved set of documents in query expansion. Large operational bibliographic databases are used to simulate behavior of this method which selects most informative features as searchonyms to be used in query reformulation. Ten references are listed.…

Results of an experimental study of the retrieval effectiveness of computer-recognized citing statements indicate that average recall for eight retrieval requests by search of indexing and abstract text words was 50 percent. Addition of words from citing statements referring to papers to be retrieved increased average recall to 70 percent.…

Summarizes studies of pseudoclassification, a process of utilizing user relevance assessments of certain documents with respect to certain queries to build term classes designed to retrieve relevant documents. Conclusions are reached concerning the effectiveness and feasibility of constructing term classifications based on human relevance…

Discussion of a new method of index term dictionary compression in an inverted-file-oriented database highlights a technique of word coding, which generates short fixed-length codes obtained from the index terms themselves by analysis of monogram and bigram statistical distributions. Substantial savings in communication channel utilization are…

Formulates a model to accommodate the hypothesis that, if the content representation items of documents in a database are neither totally independent nor highly correlated, combining them in a certain way may increase information retrieval effectiveness. The results of a small experiment that tested this hypothesis are presented. (Author/JD)

Describes the three subsystems of an information retrieval system (document descriptions, queries, and matching algorithms) and argues that the interdependency of these subsystems requires adaptation for the system to perform when any component changes. An algorithm for redescribing documents, in response to changes in queries and retrieval rules,…

Implementation of relevance feedback explored here demonstrates feasibility of query reformulation for boolean retrievals from online databases. Improvements to a term prevalence formula used in earlier research are presented, along with experimental results that confirm crucial role of term weights in relevance feedback. Seven references are…

Examines through a series of mathematical models (theorems, descriptions, and examples), properties and operations on inverted files, which are used in an information retrieval system based on thesaurus with weighted descriptors. (CWM)