Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Regardless of the search technology used, the retrieval process is a tradeoff between sensitivity and
selectivity. A non-selective search using only general terms normally returns a large amount of
irrelevant data. As shown in
Figure 4-10
, a more selective search, while returning less noise or
irrelevant data, may miss some of the desired data. Using an excessively selective search results in
less noise at the expense of relevant data.
Figure 4-10. Search Sensitivity versus Selectivity. Search 1 is more
selective, resulting in less noise in the search results, but also misses
relevant data. Search 2 is more sensitive, including more relevant data but
more noise as well.
