Finding your way on CORDIS gets easier with the pilot of a new 'conceptual' search facility
A pilot version of a new 'Conceptual Search' is currently available for several months' testing through the search facilities available on CORDIS. Users can try the new search, using natural language requests, or even cutting and pasting passages they would like to match, in order to find the information on EU research and innovation that they are looking for. CORDIS users know there is a wealth of information available through the service - the ten searchable databases now include over 300,000 individual records. The current search facilities allow users to make searches for individual words in documents and web pages, as well as sophisticated queries based on the categorisation and indexing of content. The pilot Conceptual Search, however, represents an additional leap forward in ease of use. Once fully implemented, it can be used to complement traditional search methods by seeking information that matches the query in terms of context, concept and theme, rather than specific words. Thus, even if a document uses synonyms of the search query, or expresses the same idea in a different way, it will still be found. A search is best conducted by entering a phrase or even a complete sentence or paragraph. The search software then constructs a profile of the information sought, based on the words used and the concept that links them, but independent of the specific words. The returned search results are then ranked with a percentage expressing the degree of relevance, or match, with the concept searched for. Since the search profile is based on an analysis of the context of the query, relevant information in other languages can be found, and queries can also be expressed in various languages in order to find documents in English. By cutting and pasting a suitable passage from a relevant document returned by a first search, the Conceptual Search will then find additional content that matches this concept. Following the results of this pilot, the addition of the full Conceptual Search facility will help CORDIS users find their way to the information they need, even as the amount of information available on European and international research and innovation continues to grow. Although its availability may be sensitive to peak-time usage, this pilot version will be used as a test-bed for further improvements.