The Use of a Context-Based Information Retrieval Technique

ABSTRACT Since users are faced with an ever increasing amount of data, fast and effective retrieval of required information is of vital importance. This study examined two methods of using Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) to improve the results retrieved using a keyword-based technique using sentence or document context. Fifty participants retrieved information using a standard keyword technique and the two LSA techniques. Although the re-ranking provided by the LSA techniques ordered the documents in a significantly more efficient manner, no significant differences were found in user performance with regards to accuracy, time taken or documents accessed for the different techniques. However, individual differences did significantly influence results, most notably in regards to participants’ scores on a comprehension test. This study therefore highlights the importance of examining the impact of individual differences in any information retrieval system.