Information Storage and Retrieval
Hoda Homavandi; Yaghoub Norouzi; Bent-ol hoda Khabbazan
Abstract
IntroductionRecently, the development of artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction has highlighted the increasing importance of language challenges in information retrieval. The crucial role of language in disseminating, accessing, and retrieving information cannot be studied independently ...
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IntroductionRecently, the development of artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction has highlighted the increasing importance of language challenges in information retrieval. The crucial role of language in disseminating, accessing, and retrieving information cannot be studied independently of syntax and semantics. Explaining and describing research in this field from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, and understanding researchers' trends, is an important step in comprehending the significance of syntax and semantics in communication structures within modern information search and retrieval environments. Consequently, in this descriptive and analytical study, we conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses of studies in the field of syntax and semantics in information retrieval. Literature ReviewIn recent years, there has been a lot of interdisciplinary research focusing on investigating the impact of language on the interaction between users and the web environment. These studies have discussed the language from various perspectives and have explored information retrieval across different types of information media, including web databases, search engines, commercial websites, and libraries. Tapsai (2019), Norouzi and Hamavandi (2018), Hammo (2009), Lazarinis (2008), Ofoghi, Yearwood & Ghosh (2006) have focused on different languages such as Persian, English, Arabic, and Greek. The findings show that the syntax and morphology, as well as the semantics of searched terms and phrases, have a significant impact on the retrieval of results. In addition, search tools tend to rely more on the general form of words instead of focusing on the real needs of users in order to improve the search process.Due to the huge amount of information on the World Wide Web and the challenges related to information retrieval, researchers and software developers have turned to the Semantic Web to keep up with the changes. The Semantic Web has provided a large amount of structured and machine-understandable information on a wide range of topics (Guha, McCool & Miller, 2003). Semantic models perform well in identifying and recognizing synonyms, similar words, and semantic frameworks. Therefore, one of the most important challenges in the field of information storage and retrieval is to bridge the gap between the language used by information seekers and information providers (Rezaee Sharifabadi et al., 2010).The current study aims to systematically review previous research findings on syntax and semantics in information storage and retrieval across different contexts. Each context represents different dimensions of knowledge representation systems, from traditional to semantics. Upon reviewing the research, it was found that no systematic review has been conducted with a focus on syntax and semantics in the field of information retrieval. MethodologyIn this qualitative research using Aveyard’s systematic review method, we aim to address the following questions:What is the statistical status of studies in the field of syntax and semantics in storing and retrieving information?What are the main subject areas that researchers have focused on in studies related to syntax and semantics in storing and retrieving information?What research methods and approaches have researchers employed in this field?What are the research gaps and areas that require further study in this field?To gather relevant sources from information databases, we selected search keywords based on the research questions. Then, we used search strategies and various operators to combine the keywords and phrases, ensuring a comprehensive and effective search in Persian databases such as Magiran, Irandoc, SID, NoorMagz, ISC, and Civilica, as well as databases including Scopus, Emerald, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. There was no time limitation for the search. We recorded accepted sources such as articles and theses that were relevant and valid. By removing irrelevant and duplicate sources, we selected 12 Persian sources and 42 English sources. After categorizing, the studies were analyzed according to the type of source, research method, and tool. The results of the analysis of the studies were presented in the form of tables and graphs. ResultsThe selected studies were categorized into three groups (their characteristics were described in detail): information retrieval, information organization, and information search based on the analysis of keywords and subjects raised in the sources. The results of the study revealed that among the 54 reviewed studies, Iranian researchers had conducted the most research in the field of syntax and semantics in information retrieval, with 12 studies. The United States followed with 5 studies, and China and Vietnam tied for third place with 4 studies each. The majority of the studies focused on syntax and semantics in information retrieval. DiscussionAnalysis of 54 selected studies has shown that these studies were conducted over a period of 26 years. The oldest study was included in the review back to 1997, while the most recent one is from 2022. This shows the dynamic nature of the field under investigation and demonstrates how it is constantly changing and being influenced by the advancement of web technologies. Furthermore, a thematic analysis of the research, based on the studies' keywords, reveals that "Ontology," as a tool of the semantic web, is closely linked to the semantic and syntax aspects of language in information retrieval.Moreover, in a total of 54 studies, the majority were experimental (19), followed by applied (15) and analytical (9). Additionally, there were 6 studies that combined applied and analytical methods. Content analysis and comparative analysis each had 2 instances, while case studies were the least frequent with only 1 case. These studies have utilized tools such as ontology, search engines, and techniques including natural language processing, annotation, tagging, and indexing.The discussion about exploring syntax and semantics in relation to information retrieval across different languages is believed to make a significant contribution to the development of future research literature in this field. This is because users’ native language plays a central role in forming search terms for information retrieval, based on subjective meanings, context, and content. Considering this point can effectively enhance information retrieval systems. ConclusionAlthough many studies have addressed various aspects of syntax and semantics in information retrieval, more research is needed to investigate syntax and semantics in information organization. It is also important to delve into and analyze their theoretical aspects in information retrieval, especially through interdisciplinary studies.Moreover, the interconnectedness of various areas of study demonstrates the close relationship between syntax and semantics and linguistic issues in nearly every field that involves organizing, storing, and retrieving information. These areas include the study of syntax and semantics in relation to environmental sensors, indexing, identification and summarization of texts, plagiarism detection, natural language processing, repositories, improvement of query users and data retrieval in repositories and search engines, metadata enrichment, and image retrieval. The results of this research, such as its main themes, identified methods and approaches, and research gaps, can offer valuable insights for future studies.
Hoda Homavandi; Yaghoub Norouzi; Shahed Rashidi
Abstract
IntroductionOntologies as tools for visualizing domain knowledge and improving information search and retrieval have attracted the attention of many researchers in different subject areas. One of the domains where the application of ontologies can be the subject of many researches is knowledge management, ...
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IntroductionOntologies as tools for visualizing domain knowledge and improving information search and retrieval have attracted the attention of many researchers in different subject areas. One of the domains where the application of ontologies can be the subject of many researches is knowledge management, while it has been less discussed so far. The aim of this research is the qualitative and quantitative analysis of studies related to the application of ontologies in the knowledge management domain in order to identify these applications the main subject areas and their aspects.
Literature ReviewReasons for creating ontologies include the ability to reuse knowledge, sharing a common understanding of the structure of information between human and software (machines), analyzing domain knowledge, describing basic concepts in a subject domain, and the relationship between them (Montenegro et al. 2012). Therefore, considering the application of ontology in knowledge engineering and since access to knowledge has a major contribution to the progress of societies in today's world, the way of accessing and managing this knowledge among the large amount of information is very important and challenging. Knowledge management is also one of the topics that is of interest to researchers in various fields. Ontologies are one of the tools for organizing and managing knowledge. Despite the significant number context-based research on the use of these tools and the use of ontologies in knowledge management, lack of connection and understanding between researches in the field of ontology and applied knowledge management will cause knowledge management to be deprived of these tools. Therefore, the following research aims to analyze the studies in the field of ontology application in knowledge management. As it mentioned, most of the research in this field is context-based. The fields of education (Yang, Chen, & Shao, 2004), architecture (Anumba et al, 2008), agriculture (Zheng et al., 2012) and medicine (Zhou et al., 2020) are among the context-based researches in the field of application of ontology in knowledge management. Moreover, identifying the obstacles and challenges of using these tools in the context of knowledge management is another aspect that has not been addressed in the researches. Therefore, this study focuses on researches that are generally discussed applications and methods the use of ontology in knowledge management and research about the application of ontologies in different domains knowledge management or the construction and implementation of ontologies in the field of knowledge management have been ignored. This research can provide a comprehensive view of the applications and capacities that the use of ontologies provides for knowledge management.
MethodologyThe present study is a descriptive-analytical one. It was conducted using Pettigrew and Roberts 's (2008) systematic review method. In order to analyze the texts and visualize the findings, the content analysis method using MaxQDA and Data Trapper software was applied. Accordingly, after formulating research questions and search keywords, inclusion and exclusion criteria, selected databases were searched. At first stage, 419 studies were retrieved, after reviewing and considering the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 47 studies were selected for final analysis. The results of the analysis of the studies were presented in the form of tables and graphs.
ResultsIn addition to presenting the frequency of subjects, the citation statusof studies and subject trends in this field over time, analysis of studies in the field of application of ontologies in knowledge management revealed that these researches include five main topics as follows: construction and creation of ontology in the field of knowledge management, design of knowledge management systems based on ontology, use of ontology in the process of knowledge management, role and synergy of ontologies in knowledge management and challenges and usage guidelines. From ontology in knowledge management.
DiscussionAnalysis of 47 selected studies showed that Chinese researchers have studied this issue more than others. In Iran, the number of studies was significant compared to other countries. Moreover, the analysis of the studies indicates that in most of the studies in this field, analytical-descriptive approach has been applied. In terms of the year of conducting the research, most of the studies in this field were conducted in 2009. In Iran the first study was conducted in 2008 and other studies were conducted since 2019. Accordingly, most of the research in the field of the application of ontologies in knowledge management are analytical-descriptive, and case and experimental studies and literature review are in the next in terms of frequency, which have used tools such as texts, questionnaires, and the Delphi technique. Thematic analysis of the studies shows that the most focus of these research is on presenting the methods, models, frameworks and approaches that are used to build ontologies in the field of knowledge management. A number of these studies also dealt with the construction and development of ontology in the field of knowledge management. Ontology based knowledge management systems, the application of ontology in different parts of the knowledge management process, the role and synergy of ontology in knowledge management, and the guides and challenges in the construction of ontologies in the context of knowledge management are other major topics in these studies. The combination of the results of keyword analysis and the identification of the changing process of subjects over the time can confirm the relative superiority of technical aspects in the design and construction of ontologies in the field of knowledge management.
ConclusionAlthough studies have addressed different dimensions of the application of ontology in knowledge management as a helpful tool to facilitate different stages of knowledge management processes, the focus of most studies on theoretical dimensions has caused a lack of connection and real practical understanding of applying ontology in this field. In this study, the emphasis is on the general ontologies of knowledge management, but the high importance of user-oriented studies, understanding the environment and the user community in design, construction and use of technologies, including ontology and their impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of knowledge management, require researchers to focus on these non-technical issues, and the results of this review show a significant lack of focus on these issues.
