Queries as anchors: selection by association

Abstract

This paper introduces a new method for linking the world view of the search engine user community with that of the search engine itself. This new method is based on collecting and aggregating associative query trails in the form of query reformulation sessions. Those associative query trails are then used to expand the documents indexed by the search engine. Our method is shown to reduce the time spent searching the index, reduce the need to reformulate queries, and also increase the proportion of queries which fulfill the user's information need. Our work provides a mere glimpse into a new field of study by introducing new types of linking between documents and users' world views. Such links from world views have never previously been considered content that can be indexed and searched over.