Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) has become the standard approach for integrating domain knowledge into Large Language Models (LLMs). However, fair comparison of RAG pipelines remains difficult: data preparation is often ad hoc, subsampling methods are opaque, parameters vary across implementations, and evaluation is fragmented. We present In-Situ Eval, a unified and reproducible framework that operationalizes the full RAG pipeline with configurable subsampling strategies and both RAG-specific and generic evaluation metrics. The platform supports two execution modes: an offline Dataset mode for evaluating precomputed outputs, and a live Retrieval mode for benchmarking RAG variants with state-of-the-art LLMs. Users can flexibly select datasets, retrieval techniques, models, and metrics, enabling side-by-side comparisons, ablations, and targeted analyses. This holistic approach reduces computational costs, clarifies the impact of subsampling techniques, and provides actionable insights for real-world deployments. By facilitating transparent, customizable, and interactive benchmarking, In-Situ Eval empowers both researchers and practitioners to make informed decisions in adapting RAG pipelines to domain-specific needs.
Institutions: University of South Carolina, University of Alabama
Language: English
Topic: Topic Modeling
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7138880960