Workshop on the Perspectives on the Evaluation of Recommender Systems (PERSPECTIVES 2021)
Abstract
Evaluation is essential when conducting rigorous research in recommender systems (RS). It may span the evaluation of early ideas and approaches up to elaborate systems in operation; it may target a wide spectrum of different aspects being evaluated. Naturally, we do (and have to) take various perspectives on the evaluation of RS. Thereby, the term “perspective” may, for instance, refer to various purposes of a RS, the various stakeholders affected by a RS, or the potential risks that ought to be minimized. Further, we have to consider that various methodological approaches and experimental designs represent different perspectives on evaluation. The perspective on the evaluation of RS may also be substantially characterized by the available resources. The access to resources will likely be different for PhD students compared to established researchers in industry.
Acknowledging that there are various perspectives on the evaluation of RS, we want to put into discussion whether there is a “golden standard” for the evaluation of RS, and—if so—if it indeed is “golden” in any sense. We postulate that the various perspectives are valid and reasonable, and aim to reach out to the community to discuss and reason about.
The goal of the workshop is to capture the current state of evaluation, and gauge whether there is, or should be, a different target that RS evaluation should strive for. The workshop will address the question: where should we go from here as a community? and aims at coming up with concrete steps for action.
We have a particularly strong commitment to invite and integrate researchers at the beginning of their careers and want to equally integrate established researchers and practitioners, from industry and academia alike. It is our particular concern to give a voice to the various perspectives involved.
