A practical and nuanced framework for entity linking evaluation.

BACKGROUND

Entity linking maps textual mentions with entities in vocabularies. While accuracy is the primary metric for entity linking evaluation, it fails to capture the complexity of model behaviour.

RESULTS

We propose an entity linking evaluation framework that clarifies the target objects of metrics calculation, incorporates term hierarchy, generates performance profiles, and summarises them as model characteristics. The framework emphasises hierarchical vocabulary structures, shifting the focus from text-level label matching to semantic comparison between concepts. We illustrate the competence and utility of this framework through a case study on disease entity linking.

CONCLUSION

Our results highlight the importance of aligning evaluation metrics with application-specific requirements, and provide structured hierarchical error analysis for entity linking, paving the way for more nuanced and practical assessments of entity linking systems.