RAG+: Enhancing Retrieval-Augmented Generation with Application-Aware Reasoning
RAG+ is a novel framework that extends Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) by explicitly incorporating application-aware reasoning. It constructs a dual corpus of factual knowledge and aligned application examples, which are jointly retrieved during inference. This approach enables large language models (LLMs) to not only access relevant information but also apply it within structured, goal-oriented reasoning processes, leading to significant performance improvements across various knowledge-intensive domains. ✨
Article Points:
1
RAG+ addresses RAG's limitation of lacking an application-aware reasoning step.
2
It jointly retrieves factual knowledge and aligned usage examples for better reasoning.
3
RAG+ builds a dual corpus: domain knowledge and application instances.
4
The framework is modular and retrieval-agnostic, integrating into existing RAG pipelines.
5
Consistently outperforms standard RAG variants across math, legal, and medical domains.
6
Bridges passive knowledge access with task-oriented reasoning for capable LLMs.
RAG+: Enhancing Retrieval-Augmented Generation with Application-Aware Reasoning
Core Idea

Enhances RAG with application-aware reasoning

Bridges retrieval with actionable application

Methodology

Dual Corpus

- Knowledge
- Application Examples

Construction Stage

- Application Generation
- Application Matching

Inference Stage

- Retrieves knowledge & applications
- Forms comprehensive prompt

Modular & Retrieval-Agnostic

Benefits

Improved Reasoning Accuracy

Consistent Performance Gains

Scales well with model size

Evaluation

Math Domain

Legal Domain

Medical Domain

Multiple LLMs

Limitations

Resource-intensive corpus construction

Potential for alignment mismatches

Doesn't optimize retrieval quality

Future Work

Advanced application strategies

Tighter integration

Joint optimization of retrieval & generation