Design and evaluation of a vocabulary switching system for use in multi-base search environments. Final report. [VSS]
The Vocabulary Switching System (VSS) described in this report specifically addresses the problem of heterogeneous data base vocabularies and indexes, and how these differences can be neutralized to facilitate multi-base switching. VSS is an experimental, on-line, automated subject switching system. The system produces semantic, syntactic, and generic relatives to search terms supplied by the user because it is a system based on the linguistic structures of existing thesauri or controlled vocabularies. The performance of 29 experimental stacks was evaluated with the aid of three useful measures, coverage, precision, and speed. Several stacks showed promise for becoming an optimal switching strategy, that is, a strategy with the combined qualities of high precision and broad coverage. Results from term level analyses suggest that an optimal strategy could contain word and stem options, but the placement of these options within an overall strategy is critical. Initial attempts to evaluate VSS with the aid of an actual retrieval experiment were encouraging but inclusive. The results support observations that no single data base is an authorative source for information sought and significantly higher recall is possible when multi-base searching is employed. A nationwide on-line user survey was undertaken. It provides a concise anatomy of searching habits and preferences in today's world of on-line information retrieval. 26 figures, 32 tables.
- OSTI ID:
- 5640401
- Report Number(s):
- NP-24399
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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