Structure-Guided Retrieval
Structure-Guided Retrieval is a retrieval approach that selects materials according to their role within a knowledge structure, rather than relying only on text similarity.
Structure-Guided Retrieval is a retrieval approach that selects materials according to their role within a knowledge structure, rather than relying only on text similarity.
Most retrieval-augmented systems begin from similarity. They search for passages whose wording or semantic embedding resembles the user’s query. Similarity is useful, but it is not enough for expert knowledge. A passage can be textually similar and structurally irrelevant. Another passage can be less similar in wording but essential because it defines the concept, method, or theory required by the question.
SonaMinds uses Structure-Guided Retrieval to address this limitation. The system should first understand the position of the question within the knowledge architecture. It should then retrieve materials according to that position. If the question asks for a method, method documents should receive priority. If the question asks about a theoretical framework, materials linked to that framework should be retrieved. If the question concerns a core concept, concept-defining materials should guide the answer.
Retrieval by structural role
In a structured expert system, materials do not all play the same role. Some materials define concepts. Some explain theories. Some illustrate cases. Some provide factual evidence. Some state procedural rules. Some show how an expert applies a method to a new problem. Structure-Guided Retrieval makes these roles visible to the retrieval process.
This approach reduces context noise. Rather than placing as much material as possible into the model context, SonaMinds aims to retrieve the materials that are structurally relevant. A smaller context can produce a better answer when it is selected by the right structure.
Difference from ordinary RAG
Ordinary RAG often moves from query to similar chunks to answer. Structure-Guided Retrieval inserts a structural step between the query and retrieval. The system asks what kind of question has been asked, what knowledge layer is activated, which concepts or methods are involved, and what material roles should be retrieved. Only then should retrieval occur.
This does not eliminate semantic search. It reorganizes it. Similarity remains useful inside a structurally defined scope. SonaMinds does not reject retrieval technology. It constrains retrieval so that it serves expert reasoning.
Example
If a user asks whether a philosophical framework can explain an AI phenomenon, a purely similarity-based system may retrieve passages mentioning AI. A structure-guided system may also retrieve concept definitions, theoretical statements, and method notes that explain how the framework reasons. The answer can then be grounded not only in topical similarity, but in the internal structure of the expert system.