2005SpringQ4

Question #4
The system-centered notion of relevance implies that a document retrieved from an information retrieval system is relevant if there is a match between the user’s request and the aboutness of the document. The user-centered notion of relevance focuses on the user’s need and the degree the document retrieved fulfill this need. In your answer, discuss the following: a. Why the notion of system-centered relevance is inadequate? b. How relevance is usually judged from a user’s perspective? c. Could a user’s relevance judgment change over time for the same retrieved documents and why? d. What factors affect relevance judgment? e. Does a user’s relevance judgment of documents retrieved from the Web vary from those retrieved in information retrieval systems such as online databases and why?