Applications of linear algebra in information retrieval and hypertext analysis
Jon M. Kleinberg, Andrew Tomkins · 1999
Information retrieval is concerned with representing con-tent in a form that can be easily accessed by users with information needs [61, 651. A definition at this level of generality applies equally well to any index-based re-trieval system or database application; so let us focus the topic a little more carefully. Information retrieval, as a field, works primarily with highly unstructured con-tent, such as text documents written in natural lan-guage; it deals with information needs that are gener-ally not formulated according to precise specifications; and its criteria for success are based in large part on the demands of a diverse set of human users. Our purpose in this short article is not to provide a survey of the field of information retrieval- for this we refer the reader to texts and surveys such as [25, 29,