Labeling and Taxonomy Development Flashcards

Which labeling approach uses the audience's own vocabulary instead of expert or internal terminology?

Answer: User-centered labeling

User-centered labeling adopts the natural language and terms real users employ, reducing cognitive friction and improving findability.

In taxonomy design, what is a 'polyhierarchy'?

Answer: A node that appears under multiple parent nodes

Polyhierarchy allows a concept to belong to more than one parent category, enabling multiple valid classification paths.

What does the term 'scope note' refer to in a controlled vocabulary?

Answer: A definition clarifying the intended use of a term

Scope notes clarify the precise boundaries of a term's meaning, reducing ambiguity when indexers assign it.

Which ISO standard governs the construction and format of monolingual thesauri?

Answer: ISO 25964-1

ISO 25964-1 specifies structure, relationships, and presentation rules for monolingual thesauri used in information retrieval.

A label that changes meaning depending on context (e.g., 'plant' meaning factory vs. vegetation) is best handled by:

Answer: Creating homograph qualifiers to disambiguate

Homograph qualifiers (e.g., 'Plant (Biology)' vs. 'Plant (Industry)') differentiate identical-spelling terms with distinct meanings.

What is 'faceted classification' primarily designed to overcome?

Answer: The rigidity of single-hierarchy taxonomies

Faceted classification lets items be described along multiple independent dimensions (facets), overcoming the limitation that a single hierarchy forces one primary path.

In information architecture, a 'synonym ring' (or synset) is used to:

Answer: Treat multiple terms as equivalent for retrieval without designating a preferred form

A synonym ring groups equivalent terms so searching any one of them retrieves the same results, without requiring a single preferred term.