How to Avoid Redundant Object-References

Abstract

A type of data “redundancy” that is not fact-redundancy arises from object-references that are non-“information-bearing”. Several forms of this phenomenon may occur in fact samples, including mention of a scope-defining object, and use of an anaphoric term – whether stated or implicit. We give various examples of this phenomenon of non-informative object-reference, and suggest that the problem is addressed by fully-semantically-accurate modeling: if we can correctly capture all referential meaning (which requires working with fact instances, not just fact types) – including whether the object-reference is intended as “information-bearing” (in its context) – then a design-procedure exists, outlined here, that will attribute fact-type “roles” to mentioned objects in such a way as to avoid all non-information-bearing object-reference.