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ResearchSpace Documentation

Overview​

ResearchSpace gives you access to the wide variety of humanities data curated by LINCS and available in the LINCS triplestore.

The data includes people, places, and objects from multiple datasets. A single data point is called an entity. ResearchSpace lets you explore the details about a single entity and the connections between entities.

The words data and entity are used interchangeably in this documentation.

ResearchSpace has two special features: the Knowledge Map and the Semantic Narrative. The Knowledge Map lets you explore the connections between entities in a visual way. Knowledge Maps can be saved as images to use in publications and presentations. The Semantic Narrative lets you insert dynamic Knowledge Maps into a narrative argument.

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  • ResearchSpace works best on larger screens. It is not optimized for mobile devices.
  • ResearchSpace can be slow to load. Please be patient.
  • There is no undo function.
  • The relationships you can discover between entities depends on how the data has been modelled.
  • You may encounter errors or inaccuracies which are inevitable in large datasets.

How LINCS Data are Connected​

The data in the LINCS triplestore are modelled on the CIDOC CRM ontology. CIDOC CRM is an event-centric ontology. The implication of an event-centred model is that all the important information about people, places, and objects are found on a related event (such as a birth, a death, a creation). Take the example of Florence Nightingale. Her birthplace is not directly attached to the Florence Nightingale entity. You need to first find the birth event entity in order to discover where she was born. Then we can discover that Florence was born in Florence! Even social identities, like Nightingale's gender as a woman, are represented as events. This may at first seem strange or convoluted but makes it possible to reflect complex or changing identities.

Florence Nightingale is connected to her birthplace through a birth event.

Researchers with Data in LINCS​

LINCS maintains a distinct ResearchSpace environment for researchers with data in LINCS. In the ResearchSpace Review environment, you can edit your data and make changes to your dataset homepage. Learn how to use the editing features available in ResearchSpace Review.

Create an Account​

  1. Click Register to create a new account or Sign in with your LINCS account, GitLab or GitHub. Learn more about LINCS accounts.
  2. (Optional) If you are a researcher with data in LINCS contact us to obtain editing permissions.
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You may explore ResearchSpace anonymously without creating an account. However, you will need to create an account to save your work.

Search LINCS Data​

Use the search box in the centre of the homepage or in the top navigation bar. As you start typing, the search box will populate with matches to entities in the LINCS triplestore. The entities are displayed as entity name (class), dataset name. Example: Florence Nightingale (Person), Orlando.

Results of typing florence nightingale into search.

Some of the search results after typing Florence Nightingale into the search box.

Select the entity you want. An entity summary page opens.

Entity Summary Page​

An entity summary page provides details about an entity, including:

  • Image of the Entity: If an image exists, you will see it on the page. Click the image for a larger view.
  • Entity Type: The class according to the CIDOC CRM ontology.
  • Resource Identifier: The entity's unique IRI. The IRI may be generated by LINCS or may come from another authority like VIAF or Wikidata.
  • Dataset(s): The source of the entity.
  • Summary: This tab shows a summary of information about the entity.
  • Outgoing Statements (Entity as Subject): A list of statements where the entity is the subject of the triple. See How to Read Incoming and Outgoing Statements.
  • Incoming Statements (Entity as Object): A list of statements where the entity is the object of the triple. See How to Read Incoming and Outgoing Statements.

The entity summary page for the person Florence Nightingale from the Orlando dataset.

How to Read Incoming and Outgoing Statements​

An outgoing statement has the entity in the subject position of a triple.

An example of an outgoing statement is: Florence Nightingale has alternate label Miss Nightingale. FLorence Nightingale is the subject, has alternate label is the predicate and Miss Nightingale is the object.

An outgoing statement for the entity Florence Nightingale where Florence Nightingale is the subject of the triple.

An incoming statement has the entity in the object position of the triple.

An example of an incoming statement is: Dicky Bird Society has current or former member Florence Nightingale. Dicky Bird Society is the subject, has current or former member is the predicate and Florence Nightingale is the object.

An incoming statement for the entity Florence Nightingale where Florence Nightingale is the object of the triple.

The entity summary page includes these features:

  • Copy Link to this Entity Page: Share a link to the entity summary page.
  • View in Knowledge Map: Open the entity in a Knowledge Map.
  • Add to Saved Items: Save the entity to the Saved Items panel. You must be logged in if you want to save your work for future sessions.

Browse LINCS Data​

Discover the breadth of humanities data published by LINCS by selecting one of the browsing options available on the homepage:

  • Browse by Category (People, Places, Groups, Events, Objects, or Sources)
  • Browse All Entities
  • Browse Datasets
different ways of browsing the LINCS triplestore.

Refine Your Browse Results​

Use the search box at the top of the results page to find an entity within the set you just browsed.

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  • The search function within browsed results works as if there were an "OR" between each search term. For example, Florence Nightingale will retrieve matches on Florence as well as matches on Nightingale.
  • Phrase searching (e.g. "Florence Nightingale") is not available.
  • Don't use Boolean operators.
  • Search is not case sensitive.
  • Search is not word order sensitive. Florence Nightingale, Nightingale Florence, and Nightingale, Florence return the same results.

You can use the filters in the panel on the left side of the page to narrow down your results.

Any filter you select will appear as a blue box above the search results. To remove a filter, click the x in the blue box.

After browsing by the category People on the homepage, the activity type filter was used to select the activity Composer.

Display Results​

You can view results as a grid, map, table, chart, or timeline. By default, ResearchSpace displays the data as a grid of entity cards.

Each entity card displays the name of the entity and the CIDOC CRM class to which it belongs. The colour stripe on the top of the Entity Card is a visual cue representing the CIDOC-CRM class.

The entity card for Florence Nightingale

The entity Florence Nightingale belongs to the CIDOC CRM class Person. LINCS assigned a royal blue colour stripe to entities of this class.

The entity card includes these features:

View (eye icon): View brief information about the entity.
Explore: Open the entity summary page to display a summary of information about the entity, and all incoming and outgoing statements connected with the entity.
Edit: Edit information about the entity. This feature is only available in ResearchSpace Review for researchers with data in LINCS. See documentation for ResearchSpace Review.
Map: Open the entity in a Knowledge Map.

In addition to the grid view, you can also display the data as a map, table, chart, or timeline. Depending on the data, these views may or may not be useful to you.

Below is an example of map view. Map view is relevant when looking at place entities. Click on one of the numbers on the map to show place names.

This world map shows the place data in the Ethnomusicology dataset. Ghana is highlighted.

Below is an example of table view. Click on the table header to sort results alphabetically A-Z or Z-A.

Below is an example of chart view. This view can be useful in some situations. It will show you the distribution of data across different properties. Use the dropdown menu under Visualization Context to select a property. Then choose the type of visualization you want to see (i.e., line, bar, radar, pie, or donut graph).

All the creative works in the AdArchive dataset are displayed by type in a bar chart. The chart shows that most of the entities classed as creative works in AdArchive are articles.

Below is an example of timeline view. Timeline view only applies to event entities. Scroll through the timeline to view all the years available in the dataset. Select a year and click on the number next to the year. This is the number of events for that year in the dataset. The events will appear in the Vertical Timeline.

All the events in the Ethnomusicology dataset are displayed in blue in the horizontal timeline. The year 1890 was selected and two birth events are displayed on the vertical timeline: the birth event of Jake Salzman and the birth event of Salina Stutzman.

SPARQL queries require specialized knowledge as well as a good understanding of the dataset being queried.

Query the LINCS triplestore using the SPARQL endpoint on the homepage.

Download Results​

To download results, click either the Download csv button or Download json button at the bottom of the browse results screen.

Add Entities to Saved Items​

The saved items panel is a place to save entities and Knowledge Maps. You must be logged in to save items for future sessions.

  1. Click the saved items tab to open it.
  2. Drag individual entity cards (one at a time) onto the saved items panel.
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It may take a few minutes for ResearchSpace to add or remove large sets of entities.

Saved Items Panel​

  • Search: If you have a lot of saved items, you can use the search box at the top of the panel to find them quickly. The three vertical dots next to the search bar opens a search filter to aid your search. Next to filter by search, click the caret icon to display a list of filter options.

  • Open a set: Click the name of the set to reveal the contents of the folder.

  • View entities as a grid or as a list: This feature is found at the bottom of the panel. You can toggle between grid view and list view.

  • Create a new set: This feature is found at the bottom of the panel. Click the Create new set icon. You can drag entities from your browse search results into an open folder. You can't move entities that are already on the panel into a set.

  • Remove an entity: Click the x at the top right corner of the entity you want to delete.

  • View a single entity on a Knowledge Map: If you're in grid view, click the map icon on the entity card. If you're in list view, click the caret and select Knowledge Map.

  • View a set of entities on a Knowledge Map: Click the vertical dots on the set and select Explore Set.

  • Rename set: Click the vertical dots on the set and select Rename Set.

  • Delete set: Click the vertical dots on the set and select Remove Set.

  • Reorder entities: This feature is found at the bottom of the panel. Click the Reorder items icon, then drag entities in your saved items to reorder them. You can reorder individual entities, but not sets. When finished, click Save changes.

Create a Knowledge Map​

A Knowledge Map is a visualization tool that lets you create a diagram of entities and their connections. Knowledge Maps can be saved as images to use in publications and presentations. They can also be inserted as dynamic images into Semantic Narratives.

The Knowledge map opens in a Frame within ResearchSpace. Unfortunately, when you are in a Frame in ResearchSpace, you can’t use the browser’s back button to return to the previous page.

This Knowledge Map shows members of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

You can start a new Knowledge Map from any of these places:

  • Click New Knowledge Map on the homepage.
  • Click the Map icon on an entity card.
  • Click the View in Knowledge Map button on an entity summary page.
  • Open the saved items panel. Click the Map icon on any of the entity cards in your saved items. Or click the vertical dots next to a set and select Explore set.

Add an Entity to Your Knowledge Map​

There are two ways to add entities to a Knowledge Map:

  1. Drag an entity from your saved items onto the Knowledge Map space.
  2. Search the LINCS triplestore:
  • Click > (arrow icon) on the left side of the Knowledge Map to open up a search panel.
  • Use the Search entities search box to find entities in the LINCS triplestore.
  • Click and drag entities onto the Knowledge Map.

If connections exist to entities already on your Knowledge Map, ResearchSpace will draw that connection for you.

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  • This search will retrieve exactly what you type in the box. For example, Virginia Woolf, Woolf, Virginia, and Woolf Virginia each retrieve a different set of results.
  • You can’t limit your search to a particular dataset.
  • The search is not case sensitive.
  • Do not use Boolean operators.

You may find that your search retrieves too many results. If this is the case, use the Classes search filter at the bottom of the search panel to help narrow your search by class.

It helps if you are familiar with the ontologies CIDOC CRM, FRBRoo, or Web Annotation Ontology.

For example, type person into the Classes search box. The class Person appears in both the CIDOC CRM and FRBRoo ontologies.

Click the word Person under the CIDOC CRM ontology to limit your search of the triplestore to persons.

Now when you search for an entity, you will only retrieve entities classed as persons in the LINCS triplestore.

This panel is found on the left side of the screen of a Knowledge Map. The class Persons was selected in the Classes search section of this panel. This restricts the Search entities box to entities in the Persons class. Now when you search Virginia Woolf, you only get results where Virigina Woolf is a person (not related works, events, activities, etc.).

Explore Connections on the Knowledge Map​

You can view all the incoming and outgoing statements connected to an entity within the Knowledge Map. The following image shows Florence Nightingale in a Knowledge Map and some of her associated connections.

This Connections box shows some of the outgoing statements (is current or former member, is subject of, Same As, type) and incoming statements (refers to, was death of) for the person Florence Nightingale. Take note of the icons that represent incoming and outgoing statements.

If you don't see a box with the connecting statements next to the entity card, click the entity card, then click the compass icon to the right of the card.

The compass icon launches the connections.

You can start making connections on your Knowledge Map by selecting one or more statements. You can drag the statements onto the Knowledge Map space, or use the Add Selected button. To select multiple connections, press and hold the Control (Ctrl) key (or Command key on a Mac) then click the items.

The connections appear on the Knowledge Map and the link between them indicates the direction of the connection.

"Florence Nightingale is current or former member of the Dicky Bird Society" is an example of an outgoing statement from the entity Florence Nightingale. "The Dicky Bird Society has current or former member Florence Nightingale" is an example of an incoming statement to the entity Florence Nightingale.

To get back to the main list of connections, click Connections at the top of the list.

Add as many connections as you want. Once an entity is on the Knowledge Map space it will appear greyed out in the list of connections.

If the list of connections is not visible, click on the entity card, then click the compass to the right of the card to re-open the connections list.

View Connections in the Search Panel​

There is another way to view the connections to an entity.

Click an entity card on the Knowledge Map to reveal a filter icon to the bottom right of the card.

Now click the > arrow the far-left side of the screen to open a search panel (if it's not already open). You will be able to see a full list of the entity's connections. You can drag and drop these entities onto your Knowledge Map. Entities that are already on your Knowledge Map will appear greyed out.

The connections for Florence Nightingale are shown both in the Connections box and in the search panel.

There is also a filter icon next to each property in the connections box. Use this filter to see the connections to one property in the search panel.

The connections to Florence Nightingale has participant shown in the search panel.

Knowledge Map Features​

On the top of the Knowledge Map canvas, you will find several buttons and icons:

  • Save Knowledge Map: Saves your Knowledge Map.
  • Force layout (snowflake icon): Arranges entity cards in a default layout.
  • Clear all: Removes all entity cards from your workspace. You cannot undo this function.
  • Zoom in and Zoom out: Zooms in or out of your workspace.
  • Fit to screen: Brings the entity cards back into the centre of your workspace.
  • Export diagram as PNG, Export diagram as SVG, Export diagram as PDF, and Print diagram (printer icon): Downloads your Knowledge Map in one of these formats or prints your Knowledge Map.

On the bottom of the Knowledge Map canvas, you will find the Expand Navigator button that lets you move you entire Knowledge Map diagram around the canvas.

View Additional Properties of an Entity in a Knowledge Map​

  1. Click v at the bottom of an entity card on the Knowledge Map canvas to reveal a note about the entity. Many entities do not have a note attached.
  2. Click ^ to hide the note.

Remove an Entity from Your Knowledge Map​

  1. Click on the entity you wish to remove.
  2. Click the x which appears above the top right corner of the entity card. You can remove one entity at a time or use the Clear All button at the top of the screen to remove all entities from the canvas.

Edit the Appearance of Your Knowledge Map​

Once you’ve made connections on a Knowledge Map, you can edit how the connecting links are displayed.

  1. Click the < (arrow icon) on the right side of the Knowledge Map canvas to open the connections panel
  2. Click on an entity card to highlight it in your Knowledge Map. The connections panel lists all connections that exist for that entity.
  3. Now you can make any of the following changes:
  • Hide all links and labels connected to the highlighted entity card: Click the X in the black box at the top of the connections panel.
  • Show links only (no labels) connected to the highlighted entity card: Click the double-headed arrow in the black box at the top of the connections panel.
  • Show all links and labels connected to the highlighted entity card: Click the T in the black box at the top of the connections panel.

To hide or display links and labels associated with just one property, find the property in the connections panel and click the corresponding X (hide link and label), double-headed arrow (show link, no label), or T (show link and label).

Open the connections panel to show the options for editing the links connected to the highlighted Entity Card, Florence Nightingale.

Click the X in the black box at the top of the connections panel to remove links and labels connected to the highlighted Entity Card, Florence Nightingale.

Scroll the connections panel to find the property was death of to be able to change the appearance of this connecting link.

Click the double-headed arrow next to the property was death of to show the link with no label.

Save a Knowledge Map​

When you are finished, click Save Knowledge Map button at the top of the Knowledge Map. Give your Knowledge Map a name. It will be saved on the saved items panel.

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ResearchSpace does not have an autosave feature. If you make changes to your Knowledge Map, you must re-save using the Save Knowledge Map button.

Edit, Copy, or Delete a Knowledge Map​

  1. Click Account in the ResearchSpace top navigation menu, then select My Activity.
  2. Now you can:
  • Click the title of the Knowledge Map to open it and edit.
  • Click the garbage icon to delete it.
  • Click the copy icon to generate a link which you can share.

Create a Semantic Narrative​

The Semantic Narrative is a unique feature of ResearchSpace that lets you embed data and Knowledge Maps into a document. You and your readers can engage with your argument and your data in one place. If you make changes to the data, these changes will be reflected in the document as well.

Create and save any Knowledge Maps you want to embed in your narrative. Add any entities you want to include in the narrative to the saved items panel.

  1. Click New Semantic Narrative on the homepage. The Semantic Narrative opens in a Frame within ResearchSpace. Unfortunately, this feature of ResearchSpace means you can’t use the browser’s back button to return to the previous page.
  2. Begin typing text into the blank document.
  3. Drag entities and Knowledge Maps from the saved items panel into your document as desired. You may first need to move your cursor down in the document by hitting Enter on your keyboard.
  4. Save your work with the Save button at the top of the screen. There is no autosave function. If you change the text, click Save again.

Edit, Copy, or Delete a Semantic Narrative​

  1. Click Account in the ResearchSpace top navigation menu, then select My Activity.
  2. Now you can:
  • Click the title of the Semantic Narraive to open it and edit.
  • Click the garbage icon to delete it.
  • Click the copy icon to generate a link which you can share.
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While you (and others) can interact with the entities and Knowledge Maps embedded in a Semantic Narrative, changes to the data will not be saved. Instead, edit entities and Knowledge Maps outside the Semantic Narrative environment. These changes will then be reflected in the Semantic Narrative.

This is an excerpt from a Semantic Narrative called "Identifying the Poetess" written by Susan Brown.

Cite an Entity​

Format: [Researcher Last Name], [Researcher First Name]. “Entity Name.” From Dataset or Project Name. Linked Infrastructure for Networked Cultural Scholarship (LINCS). Accessed Month DD, YYYY. URL.

Example: Meagher, Michelle, and Jana Smith Elford. “A Second Look at Casablanca.” From Visualizing Feminist Networks: Representing Heresies in LOD (AdArchive). Linked Infrastructure for Networked Cultural Scholarship (LINCS). Accessed July 5, 2022. http://id.lincsproject.ca/0VXBuviAxIb.

Cite a Knowledge Map​

Format: [Researcher Last Name], [Researcher First Name]. “Knowledge Map Title.” (Knowledge Map). Linked Infrastructure for Networked Cultural Scholarship (LINCS). Accessed Month DD, YYYY.

Example: Brown, Susan. “Romantic Poetesses 1780-1799.” (Knowledge Map). Linked Infrastructure for Networked Cultural Scholarship (LINCS). Accessed March 15, 2024.

Cite a Semantic Narrative​

Format: [Researcher Last Name], [Researcher First Name]. “Semantic Narrative Title.” Linked Infrastructure for Networked Cultural Scholarship (LINCS). Accessed Month DD, YYYY.

Example

Brown, Susan. “Identifying the Poetess.” Linked Infrastructure for Networked Cultural Scholarship (LINCS). Accessed March 15, 2024.

How to Locate Citation Information​

Researcher Name(s) are found on the dataset project page which you can find by clicking View Datasets on the ResearchSpace homepage.

The URL for an entity is found on the entity summary page.

Colour and Symbol Key for LINCS Entities​

Acknowledgements​

Lehmann, M. (n.d.) “Introduction to the Knowledge Map”

Lehmann, M. (n.d.) "Introduction to the Semantic Narrative"