A conceptual model for tracking the provenance of activities in knowledge organization systems

This study develops ProvKOS, a conceptual model for tracking the provenance of change activities in a Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS). By extending current provenance practices, this model represents dynamic changes in a KOS more effectively.

The study introduces a taxonomy of editorial activities for a KOS and develops the conceptual model ProvKOS, which extends existing models such as PROV and SKOS. It provides detailed data dictionaries for the proposed entities, activities, and warrants classes. Additionally, it presents a use case on “Gender Dysphoria” in Dewey Decimal Classifications to illustrate the implementation of ProvKOS.

ProvKOS is novel in its ability to represent dynamic change activities in a KOS, which is a feature not previously discussed in the literature. Moreover, it supports interconnectivity across KOSs by providing a “Warrant” class that substantiates the context of changes. Overall, ProvKOS effectively captures KOS changes, links external resources, and offers a standardized way to analyze the growth and decline of research fields across disciplines. By facilitating better tracking of changes within a KOS and across KOSs, ProvKOS can enhance the accessibility and usability of knowledge bases across different cultural and social contexts, thus better supporting inclusive information practices

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Rutgers University Libraries

Published Article

The published journal article is available from Journal of Documentation, Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-05-2024-0101. 

Quick Links

• Open Access Version - https://doi.org/10.7282/00000438
• Published article - https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-05-2024-0101
  
• ProvKOS project page