We hope that all readers will find the papers included in this volume of interest. All were presented at the 14th BCS IRSG Research Colloquium held at Lancaster University on 13th-14th April 1992. The papers display very well the scope and breadth of information retrieval, as indeed did the workshop ilself. They also present a good cross-section of current IR research, and as such provide a useful signpost for trends in information retrieval. Before we finish we must thank the following colleagues: Simon Botley, Paul Rayson and Paul Jones for their help in the organization of the conference....