Imperfect Queries

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The queries submitted by search-engine users are usually imperfect because the users normally do not know how to compose the queries precisely according to what they are searching for. For example, the list below shows various queries and corresponding ranked search results by using a search engine to search for the book:

Intelligent multimedia information retrieval

• Perfect query: Intelligent multimedia information retrieval
  1. Intelligent multimedia information retrieval


• Disorderly query: Multimedia information intelligent retrieval
  1. Artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic and neural networks
  2. Intelligent access to information: research in natural language, information ...
  3. Multimedia color PC notebooks
  4. Intelligent multimedia information retrieval


• Incomplete query: Multimedia information retrieval
  1. Abstract Stein Mulleller Thiel 95
  2. Corpora Oct 1998 -: Corpora: TWLT 14: language technology in multimedia ...
  3. 2.1 Introduction to the workplans
  ...
  6. Intelligent multimedia information retrieval


• Incorrect query: Intelligent multi-media information retrieval
  1. Artificial intelligence research laboratory at Iowa State University
  2. Vasant Honavar’s home in cyberspace
  3. CIIR multi-media indexing
  ...
  31. Intelligent multimedia information retrieval


• Superfluous query: Intelligent multimedia information retrieval systems
  1. Research in multimedia and multimodal parsing and generation
  2. Intelligent multimedia information retrieval

There is a query that is a mix of some of the above queries. This example shows that even a slight variation in the query produces significant differences among the search results.