Abstract

Query expansion is the process of supplementing an original query with additional terms in order to refine a search and increase retrieval effectiveness. If the query expansion is interactive, then the user and the system work together to expand the query. The system usually suggests possible expansion terms and the user selects those they wish to add to the query. Studies have shown that interactive query expansion has the potential to improve retrieval effectiveness, but that it rarely succeeds in achieving its potential. It has been shown that users desire some control over the expansion process. In order to achieve this, the functionality of the system must be represented on the user interface in a comprehensible way. The main aim of this study is to focus on a small aspect of the interface and investigate whether the method used to present potential query expansion terms has any effect on retrieval effectiveness. The tool tested in this study automatically generates a hierarchical...

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