Boolean queries and term dependencies in probabilistic retrieval models
W. Bruce Croft · Journal of the American Society for Information Science · 1986
A method of integrating Boolean queries with probabilistic retrieval models is proposed. Boolean queries are interpreted as specifying term dependencies that can be used to correct the document scores obtained with a basic probabilistic model. Alternative methods of obtaining dependency information, such as user-specified phrases, can also be used in this approach. The experimental results indicate that significant performance benefits can be obtained, particularly when dependencies are derived from term phrases identified in natural language queries. © 1986 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.