CFP: Special Issue on Networked Knowledge Organization Systems

Since 1998, NKOS as a community has been concerned with discussion of the different ways knowledge organization systems (KOS), such as classification systems, thesauri, gazetteers, and ontologies, can act as networked interactive information services that support the description and retrieval of diverse information resources through the Internet. KOS model the underlying semantic structure of a domain for information retrieval purposes. Embodied as Web-based services, they can facilitate resource discovery and retrieval. They act as semantic road maps and make possible a common orientation by indexers and future users (whether human or machine).

Today, KOS play a crucial role in digital information management and applications generally. Carrying semantics in a well-controlled and documented way, KOS serve a variety of important functions: tools for representation and indexing of information and documents, knowledge-based support to information searchers, semantic road maps to domains and disciplines, communication tool by providing conceptual framework, and conceptual basis for knowledge based systems, e.g. automated classification systems.

NKOS workshops (http://nkos.slis.kent.edu/) have focused discussion (amongst other topics) on early drafts of BSI and ISO KOS standards, the W3C SKOS standard, the interface between traditional Library Science vocabularies and Semantic Web efforts, KOS linked data, mapping and linking between vocabularies, meaningful concept display and visualization, KOS-based user interfaces and user evaluation, social tagging and its relation to established vocabularies, KOS metadata and the different types of KOS.

This special issue arises from topics covered by the NKOS workshop series but invites submissions from all researchers in the general area. All submissions within the broad NKOS/KOS scope are welcome; the special issue calls for papers by KOS researchers and developers from different perspectives, such as KOS design and construction, API and service developers, retrieval-support implementations, user-oriented issues, management of KOS in registries, etc.

This special issue will solicit high quality papers that demonstrate exceptional achievements on KOS, including but not limited to:
•           Mapping between KOS Linked Data vocabularies
•           Meaningful Concept Display and Meaningful Visualization of KOS
•           Applications of KOS systems in relation to ‘Big data’
•           KOS-based recommender systems for suggestion of meaningful concepts.
•           KOS in e-Research metadata contexts – intersection between research data, KOS and the Semantic Web.
•           Management and integration of multiple vocabulary types
•           SKOS extensions
•           Social tagging. The role of social tagging and informal knowledge structures versus established KOS.
•           Users’ interaction with KOS in the online environment.
•           Quality issues in web-based KOS. Issues concerning large metadata sets. Version management.
•           KOS and learning. The requirement for using KOS effectively to convey meaning, to assist users expressing their information needs, and to facilitate in sense making and learning.
•           Multilingual and Interdisciplinary KOS applications and tools.

Guest Editors
– Philipp Mayr, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany (contact person)
– Douglas Tudhope, Hypermedia Research Unit, Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science, University of South Wales, UK
– Xia Lin, College of Computing and Informatics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA
– Stella Dextre Clarke, Information Consultant and Chair, ISKO UK, UK
– Marcia Lei Zeng, School of Library and Information Science, Kent State University, Ohio, USA

Important Dates 
Paper Submission deadline: January 5, 2015
First notification: March 31, 2015
Revision submission: May 31, 2015
Second notification: July 31, 2015
Final version submission: September 1, 2015

Submission Details 
Papers submitted to this special issue for possible publication must be original and must not be under consideration for publication in any other journal or conference. Previously published or accepted conference papers must contain at least 30% new material to be considered for the special issue. All papers are to be submitted by referring to http://www.springer.com/799. At the beginning of the submission, under “Article Type”, please select the appropriate special issue. All manuscripts must be prepared according to the journal publication guidelines which can also be found on the website provided above or here <https://www.editorialmanager.com/ijdl/>. Papers will be reviewed following the journal standard review process.

Please address inquiries to philipp.mayr@gesis.org.
—
Dr Philipp Mayr-Schlegel