How are answers scored and weighted within the answer list page or search results?
Environment:
Knowledge Foundation
Answers, Score, Solved Count, Weight, Display Position
Oracle B2C Service, all versions
Resolution:
The score is calculated from the static score and the solved count from both customers and agents, including a combination of long-term and short-term solved counts. By default, solved counts from the web portal (customer's experiences) account for 75 percent of the score, and agent scores account for 25 percent. Over time, an answer's solved count gradually declines as it is viewed less frequently.
The weight (also called matched weight) of an answer or incident is calculated when a text search is performed. It is based on the frequency of keywords or phrases included. The location of the keyword or phrase also matters. For example, words in the Subject or Summary weight higher than those appearing in the answer or threads fields.
Below are resources to help understand the answer score and weight, along with related terms:
Methodology behind the answer score value
Long-term and Short-term solved counts
Comparing the weight, score and computed score
Within the application, there are configurable options to influence the display order and weighted value of answers. Refer to the following for more information:
Optimal sort order for published answers on the
Moving a public answer up or down in the display order
Affecting the weight used with search results
Always listing an answer first in the search results
Additional elements that can have an impact on search results are as follows:
Keywords field when editing answers
Alias words increase search weight
Adding synonyms to be used when searching for answers
Enabling Other Suggested Searches on the end-user pages
Configuring Search Priority Words and Recommended Documents
Suggesting spelling corrections and common word usage for end-user searches
Occasionally, unexpected search results can occur. Expand each section below to find more information on identifying and resolving each behavior.
Click the 
next to the appropriate heading below to expand that section for viewing.
When I searching on our site, why don't the best matches appear at the top of the list of results?
Issue:
Search results do not appear to have the strongest matches listed at the top.
Resolution:
This can be an indication that search results are not being sorted by the proper field as set by the report for that page. Refer to Answer 1355: When searching, best matches do not appear at the top of the search results for information to resolve.
Why do results include answers that do not include the word or phrase I searched for?
Issue:
Answers are returned that do not include the phrase searched on. For example, when searching our site for the word "indices", several answers are listed, but many do not include that word.
Resolution:
This can be a result of excluded words being matched or word-stemming being applied. Refer to Answer 1154: Getting more answers than expected when searching end-user pages for more information on these functions.
Why are search options different for answers and incident in the console?
Issue:
Options for phrase searching are different in the console for answers than they are for incidents.
Resolution:
By design, different search techniques provide better search results for answers versus incidents. For more information on these techniques, refer to Answer 1222: Searching differences between answers and incidents.
To help avoid or minimize the impact of having unexpected results, we encourage our customers to review the following Best Practices resources:
Answer 1733: Best Practices for setting up your knowledge base of answers
Answer 1447: Tips and Best Practices for maintaining answers
If you are unable to resolve a related issue or the application is not functioning as described in the answers above, please refer to online documentation or submit a service request to Ask Technical Support. You can also post questions and collaborate with other customers and staff within the Oracle Cloud Customer Connect Knowledge Management Forum.
To access Oracle B2C Service manuals and documentation online, refer to the Documentation for Oracle B2C Service Products.
