The Notion of Relevance in Information Science

The Notion of Relevance in Information Science
Author: Tefko Saracevic
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 109
Release: 2022-05-31
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3031023021

Everybody knows what relevance is. It is a "ya'know" notion, concept, idea–no need to explain whatsoever. Searching for relevant information using information technology (IT) became a ubiquitous activity in contemporary information society. Relevant information means information that pertains to the matter or problem at hand—it is directly connected with effective communication. The purpose of this book is to trace the evolution and with it the history of thinking and research on relevance in information science and related fields from the human point of view. The objective is to synthesize what we have learned about relevance in several decades of investigation about the notion in information science. This book deals with how people deal with relevance—it does not cover how systems deal with relevance; it does not deal with algorithms. Spurred by advances in information retrieval (IR) and information systems of various kinds in handling of relevance, a number of basic questions are raised: But what is relevance to start with? What are some of its properties and manifestations? How do people treat relevance? What affects relevance assessments? What are the effects of inconsistent human relevance judgments on tests of relative performance of different IR algorithms or approaches? These general questions are discussed in detail.

Relevance and Irrelevance

Relevance and Irrelevance
Author: Jan Strassheim
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2018-09-24
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110472503

Relevance drives our actions and channels our attention; it shapes how we make sense of the world and communicate with each other. Irrelevance spreads a twilight which blurs the line between information we do not want to access and information we cannot access. In disciplines as diverse as philosophy, sociology, the information sciences and linguistics, “relevance” has been proposed as a key concept. This book is the first to bring together the often unrelated traditions. Researchers from different fields discuss relevance and relate it to the challenges of “irrelevance”, which have so far been neglected despite their significance for our chances of making well-informed decisions and understanding others. The contributions focus on theoretical and conceptual questions, on specific factors and fields, and on practical and political implications of relevance and irrelevance as forces which are even stronger when they remain in the background.

Introduction to Information Science

Introduction to Information Science
Author: David Bawden
Publisher: Facet Publishing
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2015-06-10
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1856048101

This landmark textbook takes a whole subject approach to Information Science as a discipline. Introduced by leading international scholars and offering a global perspective on the discipline, this is designed to be the standard text for students worldwide. The authors' expert narrative guides you through each of the essential building blocks of information science offering a concise introduction and expertly chosen further reading and resources. Critical topics covered include: foundations: - concepts, theories and historical perspectives - organising and retrieving information - information behaviour, domain analysis and digital literacies - technologies, digital libraries and information management - information research methods and informetrics - changing contexts: information society, publishing, e-science and digital humanities - the future of the discipline. Readership: Students of information science, information and knowledge management, librarianship, archives and records management worldwide. Students of other information-related disciplines such as museum studies, publishing, and information systems and practitioners in all of these disciplines.

A Generative Theory of Relevance

A Generative Theory of Relevance
Author: Victor Lavrenko
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2008-11-14
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3540893644

A modern information retrieval system must have the capability to find, organize and present very different manifestations of information – such as text, pictures, videos or database records – any of which may be of relevance to the user. However, the concept of relevance, while seemingly intuitive, is actually hard to define, and it's even harder to model in a formal way. Lavrenko does not attempt to bring forth a new definition of relevance, nor provide arguments as to why any particular definition might be theoretically superior or more complete. Instead, he takes a widely accepted, albeit somewhat conservative definition, makes several assumptions, and from them develops a new probabilistic model that explicitly captures that notion of relevance. With this book, he makes two major contributions to the field of information retrieval: first, a new way to look at topical relevance, complementing the two dominant models, i.e., the classical probabilistic model and the language modeling approach, and which explicitly combines documents, queries, and relevance in a single formalism; second, a new method for modeling exchangeable sequences of discrete random variables which does not make any structural assumptions about the data and which can also handle rare events. Thus his book is of major interest to researchers and graduate students in information retrieval who specialize in relevance modeling, ranking algorithms, and language modeling.

Introduction to Information Retrieval

Introduction to Information Retrieval
Author: Christopher D. Manning
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2008-07-07
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1139472100

Class-tested and coherent, this textbook teaches classical and web information retrieval, including web search and the related areas of text classification and text clustering from basic concepts. It gives an up-to-date treatment of all aspects of the design and implementation of systems for gathering, indexing, and searching documents; methods for evaluating systems; and an introduction to the use of machine learning methods on text collections. All the important ideas are explained using examples and figures, making it perfect for introductory courses in information retrieval for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in computer science. Based on feedback from extensive classroom experience, the book has been carefully structured in order to make teaching more natural and effective. Slides and additional exercises (with solutions for lecturers) are also available through the book's supporting website to help course instructors prepare their lectures.

Media Technologies

Media Technologies
Author: Tarleton Gillespie
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2014-01-24
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0262525372

Scholars from communication and media studies join those from science and technology studies to examine media technologies as complex, sociomaterial phenomena. In recent years, scholarship around media technologies has finally shed the assumption that these technologies are separate from and powerfully determining of social life, looking at them instead as produced by and embedded in distinct social, cultural, and political practices. Communication and media scholars have increasingly taken theoretical perspectives originating in science and technology studies (STS), while some STS scholars interested in information technologies have linked their research to media studies inquiries into the symbolic dimensions of these tools. In this volume, scholars from both fields come together to advance this view of media technologies as complex sociomaterial phenomena. The contributors first address the relationship between materiality and mediation, considering such topics as the lived realities of network infrastructure. The contributors then highlight media technologies as always in motion, held together through the minute, unobserved work of many, including efforts to keep these technologies alive. Contributors Pablo J. Boczkowski, Geoffrey C. Bowker, Finn Brunton, Gabriella Coleman, Gregory J. Downey, Kirsten A. Foot, Tarleton Gillespie, Steven J. Jackson, Christopher M. Kelty, Leah A. Lievrouw, Sonia Livingstone, Ignacio Siles, Jonathan Sterne, Lucy Suchman, Fred Turner

Examining Ethics in Contemporary Science Education Research

Examining Ethics in Contemporary Science Education Research
Author: Kathrin Otrel-Cass
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2020-08-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030509214

This book poses questions on how to work ethically in research on science education. Applying research ethics reflectively and responsibly is fundamental for conducting research with people. It seeks to renew the conversation on how and why to engage with ethics in science education research and to adjust and refine research practices. It highlights both the need for methodological reflections in science education research and the particular ethical research challenges of science education. Science education research involves the study of people – often young and vulnerable people – and their practices. Researchers working within humanities and social science research commonly follow guidelines and codes of conducts set by country-specific ethics committees. Such guidelines function as minimal requirement for ethical reflection. This book seeks to engage the community of science education researchers in a conversation on ethics in science education moving beyond the mere compliance with governmental regulations toward a collective reflection. It asks the question of whether the existing guidelines provided for researchers are keeping up with contemporary realities of the visual presence of individuals in digital spaces. It also asks questions on how participatory research methodologies alters the relations between researchers and practitioners. This book is organized into two parts: Part one is entitled Challenging existing norms and practices. It asks questions such as: What are the conditions of knowledge that shape ethical decision making? Where is this kind of knowledge coming from? How is this knowledge structured, and where are the limitations? How can we justify our beliefs concerning our ethical research actions? Part two Epistemological considerations for ethical science education research centres norms and practices of conducting science education research in regard to methods, validity and scope.

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology
Author: Mehdi Khosrow-Pour
Publisher: IGI Global Snippet
Total Pages: 4292
Release: 2009
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9781605660264

"This set of books represents a detailed compendium of authoritative, research-based entries that define the contemporary state of knowledge on technology"--Provided by publisher.

Critical Approaches to Information Retrieval Research

Critical Approaches to Information Retrieval Research
Author: Sarfraz, Muhammad
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2019-08-30
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1799810232

Information retrieval (IR) is considered to be the science of searching for information from a variety of information sources related to texts, images, sounds, or multimedia. With the rise of the internet and digital databases, updated information retrieval methodologies are essential to ensure the continued facilitation and enhancement of information exchange. Critical Approaches to Information Retrieval Research is a critical scholarly publication that provides multidisciplinary examinations of theoretical innovations and methods in information retrieval technologies including search and storage applications for data, text, image, sound, document, and video retrieval. Featuring a wide range of topics including data mining, machine learning, and ontology, this book is ideal for librarians, software engineers, data scientists, professionals, researchers, information engineers, scientists, practitioners, and academicians working in the fields of computer science, information technology, information and communication sciences, education, health, library, and more.