A new algorithm based on ensemble learning for learning to rank in information retrieval

Learning to rank refers to machine learning techniques for training a model in a ranking task. Learning to rank has been shown to be useful in many applications of information retrieval, natural language processing, and data mining. Learning to rank can be described by two systems: a learning system and a ranking system. The learning system takes training data as input and constructs a ranking model. The ranking system then makes use of the learned ranking model for ranking prediction. In this paper, a new learning algorithm based on ensemble learning for learning ranking models in information retrieval is proposed. This algorithm iteratively constructs weak learners using a fraction of the training data whose weight distribution is determined based on previous weak learners. The proposed algorithm combines the weak rankers to achieve the final ranking model. This algorithm constructs a ranking model on a fraction of the training data to increase the accuracy and reduce the learning time. Experimental results based on Letor.3 benchmark dataset shows that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms other ensemble learning algorithms.