Relevance (Information Retrieval)
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In computer science, particularly searching, relevance is a score assigned to a search result, representing how well the result matches the search query. In many cases, a result's relevance determines the order in which the result is presented to the user.
Relevance can be calculated as simply as examining how many times a query appears in a result (often called TFIDF). However, as search engines and other businesses rely upon the accuracy of their results, many complex algorithms have been developed to determine relevance. Many of these algorithms, particularly those used by search engines, are hidden to the public, as a user that knows the details of a search algorithm can artificially boost his own content's relevance score.