Avoid (Ontological) Weasel Words in Definitions (unnecessary phrases or clauses that merely suggest a boundary)

[jonathanvajda]

I had conversation with the CUBRC team offline, but I was told to make this request public.

Definitions should avoid examples and intentionally vague language. This isn't an inviolable rule, but one we can avoid in a mid-level ontology. There are cagey words that give wiggle room, and we can avoid them. Terms and phrases like:

• example
• such as
• in other words
• for illustration
• for instance
• typical*
• usual*
• mostly
• often

Examples are supposed to be annotated with cco:example_of_usage
Elucidations are supposed to be annotated with cco:elucidation

For the mid-level ontologies, here's what my QC SPARQL query pulled:

• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/affects
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/interval_disjoint
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/is_affected_by
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ActOfAssignment
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ActOfMassMediaCommunication
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ActOfOathTaking
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ActOfReligiousWorship
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ActOfSojourn
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ArmoredPersonnelCarrier
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/BeverageAntenna
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/BiologicalWeapon
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Blue
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Bullet
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Cannon
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/City
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ColorHue
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ColorSaturation
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/CommunicationSystem
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/CriminalAct
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/CryogenicStorageDewar
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Cyan
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/DesignativeName
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/EthnicGroup
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Ethnicity
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Evening
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/FacialHair
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/FlightTransponder
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/FuelCell
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Green
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Hazel
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/HeavyMachineGun
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/HelicalAntenna
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/HornAntenna
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/InstantMessaging
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/LegalArtifactFunction
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/LightMachineGun
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Loudness
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Mailing
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/MediumMachineGun
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ModePointEstimateInformationContentEntity
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Motorcycle
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/NavigationSystem
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Night
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/NonNameIdentifier
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Orange
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/ParamilitaryForce
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Park
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/PatchAntenna
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/PayloadCapacity
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Pitch
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/PoliticalOrientation
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/PrivateNetworkTelephoneCall
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/PropellingNozzle
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/PublicSafetyArtifactFunction
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/RadioRepeater
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/RandomWireAntenna
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Red
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/RhombicAntenna
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/SatelliteArtifact
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Shotgun
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/SubmachineGun
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Tattoo
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Texture
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Timbre
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Town
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Trail
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/TrainingCamp
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Village
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Violet
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Wetness
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/WiredCommunicationArtifactFunction
• http://www.ontologyrepository.com/CommonCoreOntologies/Yellow

[swartik]

@jonathanvajda I hope future versions of CCO incorporate your points. They should be in the Best Practices of Ontology Development document.

[neilotte]

@jonathanvajda I've started a thread in the discussion board section regarding the creation of a style guide. Can we move this issue under that heading and close here? Thanks!

#317

[alanruttenberg]

Sometimes intentionally vague language is necessary, as some boundaries are essentially vague.