Vocabularies in the digital context

terminological plurality in the Knowledge Organization

Abstract

The study investigated the approach to the term “vocabulary” in the digital context by the Knowledge Organization (KO) community. An exploratory and bibliographic analysis was conducted based on a research protocol. The analysis drew on studies that discussed the vocabularies used for assigning computational semantics within the Knowledge Organization journal (2004-2024). The results indicate that most studies concentrate on describing particular objects or domains, and the relationship with the digital context is frequently superficial or implied. The hypothesis of terminological plurality was confirmed (54 terms/expressions), with only 5 being repeated, and a notable absence of explicit definitions. The term “controlled vocabularies” was the most frequent, without differentiating between traditional and digital/computational. The absence of precise definitions and the generic use of the term represents a significant barrier to interdisciplinary research advancement. The context of use, structure and functionality are essential to clarify which concept of vocabulary is in focus.