Defines a fuzzy retrieval model as the basis for extending a weighted Boolean information retrieval system in which numeric query weights are replaced by linguistic descriptors that specify the degree of importance of the terms. A relevance classification process is described, and implementation and evaluation of the fuzzy retrieval model is…

Describes an approach that combines concepts from information retrieval, fuzzy set theory, and genetic programing to improve weighted Boolean query formulation via relevance feedback. Highlights include background on information retrieval systems; genetic algorithms; subproblem formulation; and preliminary results based on a testbed. (Contains 12…

Discussion of probabilistic information retrieval systems highlights the probability ranking principle and discusses when the standard retrieval policy is optimal. Topics discussed include calibration and refinement; independent assessment of relevance by the inquirer; certainty about the computed probabilities of relevance; and confidence and…

Discussion of document ranking methods to calculate the conceptual distance between a Boolean query and a document focuses on the Knowledge-Based Extension Boolean Model which evaluates weighted queries and documents effectively and avoids problems of previous methods. Semantic networks are discussed, and is-a hierarchies are explained. (21…

Examines the relationship between recall and precision in information retrieval performance and explains why a trade-off between them is unavoidable under certain conditions. Topics discussed include the theoretical behavior of precision and recall; mathematics of the recall curve; an example using a test document collection; and two-stage…

Demonstrates how recall and precision can be expressed using a topological approach to retrieval introduced by S.C. Cater (1986); investigates threshold and close match retrieval systems and optimal and non-optimal searching; and highlights relations with hypergeometric and non-standard distributions. Includes seven appendices of mathematical…

Presents a relevance-feedback strategy that improves the effectiveness of information-retrieval systems based on back-propagation of the relevance of retrieved documents using an algorithm developed in a neural approach. Describes a neural information-retrieval model and reports results obtained with the algorithm in three different environments.…

Investigates methods for the correct and efficient handling of annotations in a full-text information-retrieval system in a hypertext environment. Goals were to increase relevant items retrieved, reduce non-relevant items, permit selective retrieval, and to explore the notion of distance between words as given in the distance-evaluation algorithm.…

Presents an efficient spoken-access approach for both Chinese text and Mandarin speech information retrieval. Highlights include human-computer interaction via voice input, speech query recognition at the syllable level, automatic term suggestion, relevance feedback techniques, and experiments that show an improvement in the effectiveness of…

Discussion of information retrieval focuses on a general method for the construction of measures of similarity taking into account the rank of presentation of the document, called ordered similarity measures. Presents an experimental evaluation used to quantify the filtering impact of a system and discusses recall and precision. (Author/LRW)

Discusses relevance in search engines for the World Wide Web. Highlights include types of searches submitted; database scope; how organizations position their Web sites; link analysis; spelling errors; offering alternatives to queries; and the single-answer approach. (LRW)

Presents a new stemming algorithm based on tree structures that improves relevance in information retrieval by conflation, grouping similar words into a single term. Highlights include the normalization process used in automatic thesaurus construction; theoretical aspects; the normalization algorithm; and experiments with English and Spanish. (LRW)

Argumentation is a process that occurs often in ill-defined domains and that helps deal with the ill-definedness. Typically a notion of "correctness" for an argument in an ill-defined domain is impossible to define or verify formally because the underlying concepts are open-textured and the quality of the argument may be subject to discussion or…

The purpose of this project was to investigate how students' search strategies changed over the course of a semester-long information literacy class. Data collection included four different paper questionnaires corresponding to course content in the spring 2008 semester. Seventy-seven participants completed the questionnaires and course work in…

It is easy to lament the shortcomings of traditional online public access catalogs (OPACs) in the Google Age. Users cannot, for example, usually input a snippet of a long-forgotten pop song's chorus into an online library catalog and almost instantly retrieve a relevant result along with hundreds of other options. On the other hand, should OPACs…