Skip to content

Identifier and Naming Conventions#

Summary#

Each entity in an ontology should contain an identifier (IRI/CURIE) and a label. The identifier is used to identify the entity anywhere it is cited/used. The label is used as its main name/title.

Purpose#

A consistent identifier format allows users to understand where a class term is defined, helps in creating interoperable ontologies, and aids in the development of software that uses the ontologies.

Implementation#

Naming Conventions for Labels#

  • The annotation property rdfs:label MUST be used for the primary label for each entity.
  • Primary labels SHOULD be as unambiguous as possible. Remember, your ontology may be used in a different context than that for which it was originally intended. Remember also of course that the label should be unambiguous without looking at parent terms.
  • Each entity MUST have exactly one rdfs:label annotation.
  • Labels MUST be unique within an ontology.
  • Synonyms/alternative labels MAY be added, e.g. via the annotation property IAO_0000118 (alternative term).
  • Labels and synonyms SHOULD be written as if writing in plain English text:
    • Use spaces to separate words. Avoid extra spaces between words, or at the beginning or end of the label/synonym.
    • Only capitalize proper names (e.g. Parkinson's disease).
    • Do not use CamelCase.
    • do_not_use_underscores
  • Abbreviations SHOULD be spelled out in the rdfs:label annotation. Abbreviations MAY be included as a separate property or synonym.
  • Special characters (such as % or &) SHOULD NOT be used in the rdfs:label annotation. They MAY be included in synonyms.

Naming Conventions for Identifiers#

  • Each entity MUST be given a unique IRI.
  • Opaque identifiers SHOULD be used. This means that each IRI is an alpha-numeric identifier, in contrast to the natural language label. Tools like Ontology Lookup Services, Protégé etc. assist users with an automated translation to the human-readable label.

Examples#

Labels and alternative labels/synonyms#

Foundry-compliant annotation property usage for a "research and development grant" ontology entity:

  • rdfs:label "research and development grant"
  • IAO_0000118 "research & development grant"
  • IAO_0000118 "R&D grant"

Identifiers#

  • IRI: https://openenergyplatform.org/ontology/oeo/OEO_00360008 (energy balancing)
  • IRI: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/BFO_0000015 (process)