Interactive Retrieval Using Weights

Using the same interactive IR component as for TREC 2006, this submission probed the ability of a user without requisite domain knowledge to interactively set appropriate weights. The weighted keyword proximity method employed allowed a computer science undergraduate to achieve rankings above the median for all measures without the use of external knowledge sources or term expansion techniques but in an interactive fashion. This suggests that domain experts should be able to perform above the median reliably, and are expected to excel when they can use domain terminology to their advantage.