An ontology-based semantic design for good evaluations of research practices

The main objective of this paper is to develop a knowledge base for the development of “good” evaluations of research practices. A good evaluation of research practices, intended as social practices à la MacIntyre, should take into account the stable motivations and the traits of the characters (i.e. the virtues) of researchers. The development of a questionnaire for the assessment of researchers’ virtues is a challenging task. The use of ontologies and taxonomic knowledge, and the reasoning algorithms that can make inferences on the basis of such knowledge represents a way for testing the consistency of the information reported in the questionnaire and to analyze in a correct and coherent way the data gathered through it.