Taxonomic range, research subjects, domains and user-defined tags
Latin names, research subjects, domains and user-defined tags can be added and removed through a single interface. We base our taxonomy on the NCBI Taxonomy hierarchy. Our subjects (browse in OLS) and domains are ontologies developed within FAIRsharing using over 50 community-built external vocabularies.
All records in FAIRsharing should have at least one subject tag and one taxonomy tag as further described below. Domain and user-defined tags are optional and provided at the maintainers' and curators' discretion, as applicable to each record.
Subject Tags
Subject in FAIRsharing describe the research scope of the resource being described.
Our subject browser allows you to view a "sunburst" visualisation of our subject hierarchy. You can find out more about using our subject browser to find the databases, standards and policies you're interested in within our Browse Subjects page.
Every record MUST have at least one subject tag linked to it. Subjects allow you to tell the research community the scope and research areas covered by your database, standard or data policy. You can specify as many subjects as you like.
Please use the most precise subject tag(s) that accurately reflect the type of content you provide. If your resource is relevant across all subject areas, please use the Subject Agnostic tag only.
Please do NOT use subject tags to describe the methodology or the technical aspects of your resource, for example using Data Management or Database Management only because you are describing a database.
A note about our "Ontology and Terminology" tag
The Ontology and Terminology tag is used to describe those resources whose scope is ontologies and other terminology types. The primary example of the correct usage is database records, like OLS, that store ontologies. Other examples includes databases such as VGNC, which is a database for its underlying VGNC terminology. In these cases, as their scope (the type of data they contain) is ontologies themselves, the Ontology and Terminology tag applies.
Terminology artefact records: If your standard is already a categorised as a terminology artefact, in the overwhelming majority of cases we do NOT suggest that you use this term. Your terminology will have a scope, e.g. it may be an anatomy ontology or an agricultural engineering terminology. The only time your terminology should contain the "Ontology and Terminology" tag is if your terminology's scope is terminologies themselves (which is rare).
Adding and Removing tags
Click on the “x” next to any existing tag to remove it from your record.
Click on “Add New Terms'' to enable the search panel. Start typing to pull up a list of matching terms from across all of our controlled vocabularies. As you type, you will be presented with a list of existing, matching values that can be selected via their tickboxes.
If you cannot find the term you require from the search results table, then select the appropriate option from below the search box: “Request new species (email)” for taxonomic additions to FAIRsharing, and “Create new user defined tags” for all other required tags.
Research subjects: Please ensure that you have provided at least one term from our “Subject” ontology, as this allows FAIRsharing to classify your record according to its appropriate research area(s).
Because our subjects and domains have a hierarchy, please use the most precise term(s) that fit your resource. Only use high-level terms such as Humanities or Natural Science if the resource's scope is truly that broad.
When should I use the taxonomy tags?
All records must have a value for taxonomy.
If your resource is from a field that does not require the storage of taxonomic information, such as Physics or the Earth Sciences then please use the “Not applicable” label, which is appropriate for those resources where taxonomy is irrelevant.
If the taxonomic species is relevant to your resource, then please add any latin names (of species or higher) that are within your scope. Some examples include:
Your resource stores genomic data for the house mouse. Rather than using a common name, you search and autocomplete for its latin name, Mus musculus.
Your resource contains data on a wide variety of Bacteria and Archaea. Rather than adding 100s of species, you add the two taxonomic areas Archaea and Bacteria.
Your resource stores species-agnostic biological data that could come from any organism. Therefore you choose the “All” label, which is appropriate for resources accepting data from any species.
Please note that the tags you use should describe the scope of the resource. For instance, Ontology and Terminology is a tag that should be used for, e.g., a repository of ontologies and not used when describing a community ontology. Another example would be Publication, which should be used when describing a publication repository or a standard for describing publications, but should not be used if simply to state that you have a publication describing your resource.
Searching for tags across all terminologies
Filtering your search results
If you wish to restrict your search to just one of our terminologies, then use the gear symbol to the left of the search box to filter according to your needs.
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