Placing search in context: the concept revisited.

Keyword-based search engines are in widespread use today as a popular means for Web-based information retrieval. Although such systems seem deceptively simple, a considerable amount of skill is required in order to satisfy non-trivial information needs. This paper presents a new conceptual paradigm for performing search in context that largely automates the search process, providing even non-professional users with highly relevant results. This paradigm is implemented in practice in the IntelliZap system, where search is initiated from a text query marked by the user in a document she views, and is guided by the text surrounding the marked query in that document ("the context"). The…