What is Semantic Search? And why is it important?

“Semantic Search” is a term used to describe a variety of approaches1 to search using techniques beyond (or in addition to) traditional textand keyword-matching functionality for information retrieval. This short article undertakes to explicate some of the sundry strategies encompassed under this rubric and, further, to briefly explain their potential advantages. Of particular interest is the application of these strategies in scholarly publishing, as various aspects of Semantic Search are suited to tackle the specific retrieval problems presented by a large and complex corpus. In particular, examples from scholarly publishing platforms (as well as search engines and other examples) will be used to illustrate the problems and solutions particular to the learned publishing industry.