The indirect retrieval method proposed by Goffman is outlined and some similarities to other retrieval methods are indicated. The method is then evaluated and the results are compared with those obtained on the same document collection with cluster-based retrieval using single-link clustering. (Author)

Presents a model of information retrieval based on plausible inference which suggests that techniques should be found for combining multiple search strategies into an overall assessment of a document's relevance. The results of experiments designed to test this approach using a simple spreading activation search are discussed. (21 references) (CLB)

Discusses the interpretation of nominal compounds in the context of natural language processing for information retrieval. Knowledge-intensive algorithms that can successfully interpret compounds found in technical documents are described, and experiments are reported that indicate these algorithms may be unnecessary for improving retrieval…