Principle: Textual Definitions (principle 6)

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Summary

The ontology has textual definitions for the majority of its classes and for top level terms in particular.

This check is automatically validated.

Purpose

A textual definition provides a human-readable understanding about what is a member of the associated class.

Recommendations and Requirements

Textual definitions MUST be unique within an ontology (i.e. no two terms should share a definition). Textual definitions SHOULD follow Aristotelian form (e.g. “a B that Cs” where B is the parent and C is the differentia), where this is practical.

For terms lacking textual definitions, there should be evidence of implementation of a strategy to provide definitions for all remaining undefined terms. In lieu of textual definitions, there can be elucidations when the term can not be rigorously defined.

Terms often benefit from examples of usage, as well as editor notes about edge cases and the history of the term, but these should be included as separate annotations and not in the definition.

Instances, such as organizations or geographical locations, can benefit from definitions although it is understood that definitions for instances are not required. It is recognized that OBO format (e.g., versions 1.2 and 1.4) does not allow this as an option.

Implementation

Logical definitions should agree with textual definitions. In fact, logical definitions can be programmatically used to generate textual definitions (see http://oro.open.ac.uk/21501/1/)

Textual definitions should be identified using the annotation property: ‘definition’ http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/IAO_0000115. The source of the definition should be provided using the annotation property ‘definition source’ http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/IAO_0000119, or as an axiom annotation on the definition assertion.

An example of providing source in an axiom annotation:

<http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GO_0000109> rdf:type owl:Class ;
                                            <http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/IAO_0000115> "Any complex formed of proteins that act in nucleotide-excision repair."@en ;
                                            rdfs:label "nucleotide-excision repair complex"^^xsd:string .

[ rdf:type owl:Axiom ;
   owl:annotatedSource <http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GO_0000109> ;
   owl:annotatedProperty <http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/IAO_0000115> ;
   owl:annotatedTarget "Any complex formed of proteins that act in nucleotide-excision repair."@en ;
   <http://www.geneontology.org/formats/oboInOwl#hasDbXref> "PMID:10915862"^^xsd:string
 ] .

this corresponds to the obo format:

id: GO:0000109
name: nucleotide-excision repair complex
def: "Any complex formed of proteins that act in nucleotide-excision repair." [PMID:10915862]

Examples

Class: reproductive shoot system
Term IRI: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/PO_0025082
Definition: A shoot system (PO:0009006) in the sporophytic phase that has as part at least one sporangium (PO:0025094).
Logical definition:

intersectionOf: shoot system
intersectionOf: participates_in some reproductive shoot system development stage

Class: chromatography device
Term IRI: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/OBI_0000048
Definition: A device that facilitates the separation of mixtures. The function of a chromatography device involves passing a mixture dissolved in a “mobile phase” through a stationary phase, which separates the analyte to be measured from other molecules in the mixture and allows it to be isolated.
Definition source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatography
Logical definition:

intersectionOf: device
intersectionOf: has_function some material separation function

Counter-Examples

  • No definition
  • Circular/Self-referential definition “A chromatography device is a device that uses chromatography” when chromatography is not defined elsewhere