When an ontology release changes your result
Version drift can alter term relationships and ranking behavior. Here is how we audit it.
Relationships change
Ontology releases add terms, revise definitions, and alter parent-child relationships. A semantic similarity result can therefore change without any new patient observation.
Lock and compare
Record the release used in every analysis and periodically compare results with the current release. A changed ranking should be traced to the responsible term or relationship.
Publish the delta
When an update matters, report both the old and new representation. This makes the effect of knowledge-base evolution visible.