The Vocabulary Problem in Collaboration

Previous research in information science and in human-computer interaction has shown that people tend to use different terms to describe a similar concept. Due to the unique backgrounds, training, and experiences of different people, the chance of two collaborators using the same term to describe a concept or an object for a common task is quite low. This vocabulary difference has created difficulties for both synchronous and asynchronous collaborations. Bridging the gap between vocabularies of different collaborators is one of the most pressing challenges for computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) system designers. In this research we propose a concept space approach and describe its associated algorithms for solving the vocabulary problem. For illustration purposes, we present two implementation examples. The first implementation involved extracting and linking C. elegans worm-specific vocabularies for assisting molecular biology researchers in information retrieval and information sharing. The second example describes a system which helped resolve meeting participants' vocabulary problem during a group brainstorming and idea organization process. By adopting automatic indexing, Page 1 of 24 The Vocabulary Problem in Collaboration 5/29/2002 file://G:\kchang\publications\publication25.htm cluster analysis, and neural network classification techniques, this research has shown the feasibility of an algorithmic approach to solving the vocabulary problem in collaboration.