EQ-Graph · EuroQol seed grant 2582-SG

About this project

EQ-Graph is a research knowledge graph of EuroQol-funded projects and their associated publications. It connects projects and researchers to the studies, populations, instruments, methods, findings, limitations, and reusable products reported in the literature.

The aim is to make the funded research portfolio easier to explore as a connected body of evidence. The graph is not an index of every paper that uses an EQ instrument.

Shoulders built the project under a EuroQol seed grant. The team is Paul Schneider, principal investigator; Sofia Fabishevskaya, co-investigator; and Kazik Pogoda, advisor.

Beta research release1,024 funded projects 797 included publications 798 studies ontology 0.13

From funded projects to structured research evidence

We combined the funded-project register with publication searches, then used titles and abstracts to decide which full texts to retrieve. Full-text assessment confirmed EuroQol support or direct project origin and recorded the scientific content of each eligible publication.

Structured metadata was parsed before semantic extraction. Canonical registries, controlled vocabularies, source locators, and deterministic checks then kept equivalent evidence together and explicit uncertainty visible.

Ontology

What the graph can represent

The diagram shows the complete semantic layer. The index below it names the main fields recorded for each type.

Ontology 0.13

The semantic model

  • Entity
  • Canonical registry
  • Control or assertion
EQ-Graph ontology version 0.13 A technical diagram of the project, publication, person, study, scientific-use, evidence, product, and quality-control entities in the EQ-Graph ontology. direct outputhasidentifiesreportsdescribeshasmay havehas · optionally part-scopedrecords typed usesinstrument responsesscoring producthassupportshaseditorial statusProjectproject_id · years · statusbudget · working groupPublicationDOI · title · journal · yearfunding · URLs · citationsAuthorshiporder · corresponding · roleaffiliation · resolutionPersonnames · ORCID · OpenAlexmember · project roleStudyprimary research familypurpose · execution · resultPopulationlabel · role · ageinclusion descriptionSamplestage · size · unitdescriptionStudyPartseparable componentflat, optional structurePurposeTaskDesignStudyFactorAdministrationStakeholderInvolvementDesignDataUseInstrumentUsecontext · functionMethodUsecontext · functionProtocolUsecontext · functionModelUsefunction · analytic roleSoftwareUsecontext · functionProductUsecontext · functionInstrumentMethodProtocolModelSoftwareExisting ProductScoringUseOutcomefamily · source labelstudy or part scopeFindingstatement · value · unitsubgroup · uncertaintyInterpretationsource-reported meaningkept separateLimitationsource-reported statementstudy or item scopeProductlabel · product typereusable outputProductStateAssertionstate · dateConceptGapSourceConflictPublicationStatusAssertionstatus · date · noticeProvenance
Solid lines show typed relations. Teal lines show the path from a publication to a study and its structured evidence. Every extracted item retains a source locator.
Portfolio
Project
title · abstract · investigator · working group · years · status
Publication
bibliographic metadata · funding · URLs · citations · editorial status
Person
names · ORCID · authorship · membership · project role
Study
primary family · purposes · execution state · result state
Study structure
StudyPart
separable sample, data source, method, or state
Design
component · time · comparison · allocation
Population + Sample
population description · role · flow stage · size
DataUse
source · origin · level · purpose
TaskDesign
profiles · attributes · levels · blocks · randomisation
Administration
respondent · channel · setting · language · time point
StudyFactor
condition · comparator · determinant · modifier · stage
StakeholderInvolvement
group · activity · stage · role · influence
Scientific use
InstrumentUse
instrument identity · context · function
MethodUse
method identity · context · function
ProtocolUse
protocol identity · context · function
ModelUse
model identity · context · function · analytic role
SoftwareUse
software identity · context · function
ProductUse
existing product examined, compared, or synthesised
ScoringUse
instrument responses linked to a scoring product
Evidence and control
Outcome
family · source label
Finding
statement · selected value · unit · subgroup · comparator · uncertainty
Interpretation
source-reported meaning, separate from the finding
Limitation
source-reported limitation
Product
reusable output · type · dated state assertions
Concept
cross-cutting theme for discovery
Gap
unmapped value · unmodelled aspect · uncertain mapping · not reported
SourceConflict
contradictory source statements kept together

Information types: controlled values · canonical registries · open source-faithful text · provenance

Ontology referenceControlled vocabulary

Ontology development

Built through comparison, not assumed in advance

We did not start with a general ontology of research. Independent AI agents reviewed different samples of EuroQol papers and the questions researchers wanted to ask, then proposed structures that covered the evidence they found.

We compared the proposals, combined stable elements, and tested the result on unseen papers. Each round showed where a category was ambiguous, missing, or more detailed than the intended use required. We revised the ontology only when source evidence showed a repeated need.

Four 15-paper development rounds and two 20-publication calibration batches produced version 0.13. Controlled vocabularies now keep equivalent instruments and methods under one identity, while genuinely new terms follow an explicit review route.

Corrections and contributions are welcome.

Please contact us if information is wrong or missing, if a funded project or publication is absent, or if you want to contribute. We also welcome questions about the method, ontology, and data.