METHODS FOR ITERATIVELY AND INTERACTIVELY PERFORMING COLLECTION SELECTION IN FULL TEXT SEARCHES

A method of selecting the likely most relevant database collections for document searching based on an ad hoc query where each of the databases includes a plurality of documents. Iterative collection selection processing of the databases is performed to obtain consistent relative-ranking collection selection results for each iteration. The method uses a collection selection query and performs the repetitive steps of determining an inverse collection frequency and a document frequency for each database; determining a ranking value for each database; selecting a subset of the set of databases based on predetermined criteria dependant on the ranking value for each the database. The method provides for automated and manual descriptions, boolean selection terms combined with soft terms, and uses term proximity, capitalization, phraseology and other information in establishing a relevance ranking of the collections with respect to the ad hoc query.