Discussion of the use of Latent Semantic Indexing to determine relevancy in information retrieval focuses on statistical regression and Bayesian methods. Topics include keyword searching; a multiple regression model; how the regression model can aid search methods; and limitations of this approach, including complexity, linearity, and…

Uses a reliability framework to examine the role that relevance judgments play in quantitative information retrieval (IR) performance measurement with an eye toward issues introduced by Internet IR. Argues that a theoretical basis for reliable measurement is possible if the relevance yardstick is reconsidered in light of recent research and if the…

Reports on a continuing investigation of intertextual networks. Describes how intertextual networks can be modeled as directed graphs and extends this to matrix representations. Discusses topological index values of these networks and speculates how topological index values might be used in the estimation of retrieval values in information…

In assessing information retrieval systems, it is important to compare the number of retrieved relevant items to the total number of relevant items. A variant of the statistical "capture-recapture" method can be used in large collections to estimate total number of relevant documents, providing the model supporting such an analysis can…

Examines the problems of developing a framework and testbed for quantitative assessment of image retrieval effectiveness. To better harness the extensive research on content-based retrieval and improve capabilities of image retrieval systems, this article advocates the establishment of common image retrieval testbeds consisting of standardized…

An unprecedented amount of information encompassing almost every facet of human activities across the world is generated daily in the form of zeros and ones, and that is often the only form in which such information is recorded. A good fraction of this information needs to be preserved for periods of time ranging from a few years to centuries.…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the consistency of students' behavior regarding their pace of actions over sessions within an online course. Pace in a session is defined as the number of logged actions divided by session length (in minutes). Log files of 6,112 students were collected, and datasets were constructed for examining pace…

This study looks at the issue of using alternative databases to support research on historical topics. The literature on online searching in history is not as well developed, nor as extensive, as literature about online searching in other subject areas. In addition, there are only two major databases that are history-specific in terms of subject…

The article describes the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), an information retrieval system, and the Northern Illinois University Clearinghouse in Career Education (CICE), a part of the ERIC system that prepares information on industrial arts, and on adult, vocational and technical, and career education. (Author/BP)

This project examines anaphora (the linguistic device of abbreviated subsequent reference to a concept) in information retrieval (IR) systems in order to develop procedures to recognize anaphors in text and distinguish between anaphoric and non-anaphoric uses of a given term, estimate the number of anaphors appearing in bibliographic records, and…

This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of keyword searching in an online catalog to traditional subject searching in one special collection of vocational rehabilitation materials. Subject area specialists assessed the contents of books using their terminology, and compared the results to MARC records. It was found that slightly…

The need for and probable use of a comprehensive abstract journal in educational research is called for as indicated by educational researchers' frequent use of the journal article, as opposed to the technical report, as a source of information. (AM)

These quarterly reports for September and December 1978 are two in a series providing a formative evaluation of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA) project, an investigation of searching behavior patterns conducted to develop (1) a model of good searching procedure which could be used as the basis for teaching new users of IIDA…

Using data gathered from 54 evaluation forms and 18 recorded interviews, this study focused on in-person users of the MEDLINE system at three search sites to determine the relationship between presearch interviews and user assessments of precision and concern for recall in online searches, and to determine differences in assessment characteristics…

A single issue of Nuclear Science Abstracts, containing about 2,300 abstracts, was indexed by Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) using the Special Subject Edition of UDC for Nuclear Science and Technology. The descriptive cataloging and UDC-indexing records formed a computer-stored data base. A systematic random sample of 500 additional…