Towards Query-Independent Ranking

Abstract

The goal of information retrieval is to provide a user with the information he seeks. The information the user desires is referred to as information need. The technique with which a retrieval system chooses documents and presents them to the user is referred to as information retrieval method. The documents the retrieval system chooses from a larger set of documents in the retrieval process are the retrieved documents. Which documents are retrieved depends on the information retrieval method applied. Whether the retrieved documents satisfy the user, depends on his information need. Consequently, the choice of the proper information retrieval method depends on the information need the system is designed for.