Lite - GISTexter at DUC 2005

This paper describes how Language Computer Corporation’s Lite-GISTexter multi-document summarization system addresses the challenge of providing summary-length answers to the types of complex questions asked in DUC 2005. We show that techniques first used in the automatic answering of “relationship” questions can be used in multi-document summarization in order to provide accurate and responsive summary answers to a wide range of complex questions. Although we have found that traditional multi-document summarization techniques do remain effective in producing summary answers to questions, we argue that the best results should be obtained by systems that focus summary answers by approximating the information need of complex questions.