Ontologies of Herbal Medicine: A thematic review analysis from 2011-2022

Abstract

This study examines various approaches for ontology construction and evaluation in medicinal plant ontology, focusing on the challenges associated with this domain. Thirty review articles on three databases revealed five alternative approaches for ontology generation in herbal medicine: well-structured methodology, customized methodology, semiautomatic approach, socio-technical approach, domain expert techniques, and top-level approach. However, 68% of the research did not include ontology evaluation. Ontology quality was often assessed using competency questions, expert opinion, and automated error detection. The study provides ontology developers with a better understanding of established methodologies for developing and evaluating standard ontologies in this area and identifies gaps in existing research for future studies.