Introducing a conceptual information retrieval (IR) framework.

This is the third in the series of the articles on an application of the systems analytic approach to evaluation of information retrieval (IR). Previously terminological and evaluation problems associated with IR were identified, and it was proposed that the systems analytic approach can provide solutions to these problems. Here, after the general discussion of a systems approach, different attempts to introduce this approach into IR are presented and critiqued: modelling of IR, identifying boundaries of a system under evaluation, identifying variables under investigation; and creating evaluation frameworks. On the basis of the critique of this work, the authors present their proposal for a solution: first the IR components, their boundaries and relationships are identified, and then the two models of IR are introduced. One of the models addresses components of the IR process and relationships between them, the second one is the process model of IR.