Labeling Guidelines; due to Adam Goodkind

  1. Use simple clauses; preferably use a specific, semantically rich verb rather than a copula such as "be", "become", "remain" and so on. EG: Conservatives oppose devolution instead of Conservatives are against devolution
  2. Given several contributors with verbs that are similar in meaning, select either the most frequent verb for the label, or choose a verb that is general enough in meaning to cover all the contributors, but not so general as to lose information.
  3. Restrict the use of labels with copula verbs to definitional and background. EG: Dafyyd Wigley is the leader of Plaid Cymru
  4. Be consistent when referring to the same entity. For example, the phrases Plaid Cymru and The Welsh Nationalist Party refer to the same entity, but be consistent in using only one name or descriptor per entity across all labels.
  5. Pay attention to part/whole relations, synonomy, and other forms of semantic inclusion among entities, and choose entities and entity descriptions for labels that maintain a judicious balance between specificity and inclusivity. For example, in the example pyramid D633-CDEJ.pyr, the labels use the term "conservatives" where contributors have "Tories", or "John Major" or "the PM" or "the government." Other equivalencies in the same pyramid that can serve as guidelines are:
    1. Labour = Labor Party, Tony Blair, Labor MPs
    2. Welsh = countryment of Wales, Wales
    3. Wales = Welsh Government
  6. Avoid beginning a label with the definite or indefnite article; because the "Order" function in the DUCView tool puts labels in alphabetical order, it will be easier to search for labels that begin with a distinctive word.
  7. Avoid negation; use positive expressions.
  8. Avoid pronouns.
  9. Review and revise your labels after completing the pyramid.

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