Refining Keyword Queries for XML Retrieval by Combining Content and Structure

Abstract. The structural heterogeneity and complexity of XML repositories makes query formulation challenging for users who have little knowledge of XML. To assist its users, an XML retrieval system can have a keyword-based interface, relegating the task of combining textual and structural clues to the retrieval algorithm. In this work, we propose an automatic query refinement method to transform a keyword query into structured XML queries that capture the original information need and conform to the underlying XML data. We formulate query generation as a search problem, and show the effectiveness of the method in generating accurate content-and-structure queries. 1 The problem of adding structure to keyword queries The functionality to mark up text with user-defined, self-descriptive tags makes XML a versatile framework for storing and sharing data. However, formal XML query languages have precise, non-intuitive syntax and offer less straightforward means to express an information nee...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2009
• Where: ECIR
• Authors: Desislava Petkova, W. Bruce Croft, Yanlei Diao
• Keywords: ECIR 2009, Formal Xml Query, Information Technology, Keyword Query, Structural