A user interface for a full-text document retrieval computerized system comprises a display with a words window in which each query word is displayed by means of a distinctive representation uniquely associated with each displayed word. In a subsequent results window, each document header or title or representation is accompanied by an indicator which employs the same distinctive representation to directly indicate to the user the relative contributions of the individual query words to each listed document. In a preferred embodiment, the distinctive representation is integrated with an associated weight first indicator in a words window, and in the results window the distinctive representations are also integrated with an associated weight second indicator. The distinctive representation can take several forms, such as by a different color or by means of hatching or shading or by displayed icons.