A Framework for Evaluating the Retrieval Effectiveness of Search Engines

This chapter presents a theoretical framework for evaluating next generation search engines. We focus on search engines whose results presentation is enriched with additional information and does not merely present the usual list of “10 blue links”, that is, of ten links to results, accompanied by a short description. While Web search is used as an example here, the framework can easily be applied to search engines in any other area. The framework not only addresses the results presentation, but also takes into account an extension of the general design of retrieval effectiveness tests. The chapter examines the ways in which this design might influence the results of such studies and how a reliable test is best designed.