User:Swpb/catcat
Finding parent categories for non-eponymous categories
A process for finding appropriate parent categories for a non-
eponymous
category. Note: This process will not identify all appropriate parent categories of a given category; if a main article exists for the category, use it to determine further appropriate parent categories.
Process
- Break down the category definition into intersecting topics.
- For each topic found in step 1, identify topics that broaden, or generalize, that topic by a single degree.
- Generate plausible parent categories, in which one of the topics in the original category is generalized as in step 2 (this may mean dropping a topic from the category definition entirely). Plausible parents may include "container" categories, usually indicated with the phrase "by [topic]". For each candidate category:
- If the category 1) exists and 2) is not a strict generalization (i.e., parent) of an already added parent category, add it as a parent to the original category. (Because category naming schemes vary, it's advisable to navigate downward from a broader parent category, to make sure a candidate category does not exist with an unexpected name.)
- If a valid parent candidate does not exist, repeat steps 2–3 with the non-existent category, generalizing further, until all existing, valid parent candidates are identified and added as parents of the original category.
Examples
Identified parent categories are indicated in bold.
Example 1: Category:World War I ships of Canada
Step 1: List intersecting topics: World War I, ships, Canada
Step 2: Generalize each topic
- World War I -> 20th century, by year -> [can't generalize further]
- Ships -> vessels -> [can't generalize further]
- Canada -> by country/nation -> [can't generalize further]
Step 3: Generate candidate parents that are generalized by one degree.
| Topic generalized | Intersecting topics | Candidate categories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20th century, by war ships Canada |
Canadian ships of the 20th century, Canadian ships by war |
| 2 | World War I vessels Canada |
Canadian vessels of World War I |
| 3 | World War I ships by nation |
World War I ships by nation |
Step 3b: Generate candidate parents that are generalized by two degrees. (There is no need to generalize the third topic, Canada, because generalizing once on that topic generated an existing category)
| Topics generalized | Intersecting topics | Candidate categories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (twice) | - ships Canada |
Ships of Canada |
| 1 and 2 | 20th century, by war vessels Canada |
Canadian vessels of the 20th century, Canadian vessels by war |
| 2 (twice) | World War I - Canada |
Canada in World War I |
Example 2: Category:2017 Brazilian television series endings
In two rounds, five parent categories are identified for the original category:
| Round 1 | Round 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1: Intersecting groups |
Step 2: Generalized groups |
Step 3: Parent candidates |
Step 2: Generalized groups |
Step 3: Parent candidates* |
| 2017 | 2010s | 2010s Brazilian television series endings | 21st century | |
| by year | Brazilian television series endings by year | N/A | ||
| Brazilian | South American | 2017 South American television series endings | N/A | 2017 television series endings |
| 2017 entertainment disestablishments by country | ||||
| by country | 2017 television series endings by country | N/A | 2017 South American entertainment disestablishments | |
| television | entertainment/media | 2017 entertainment disestablishments in Brazil 2017 media disestablishments in Brazil |
N/A | 2017 disestablishments in Brazil |
| by industry | 2017 disestablishments in Brazil by industry | N/A | ||
| endings/ disestablishments |
events | 2017 events in Brazilian television | N/A | 2017 in Brazilian television |
* Categories that strictly generalize existing parent categories found in a previous round are not valid candidates, and do not need to be checked.
Going the other way