Why using structural hints in XML retrieval?

Abstract

When querying XML collections, users cannot always express their need in a precise way. Systems should therefore support vagueness at both the content and structural level of queries. This paper present a relevance-oriented method for ranking XML components. The aim here is to evaluate whether structural hints help to better answer the user needs. We experiment (within the INEX framework) with users needs expressed in a flexible way (i.e with ou without structural hints). Results show that they clearly improve performance, even if they are expressed in an "artificial way". Relevance seems therefore to be closely linked to structure. Moreover, too complex structural hints do not lead to better results. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.