Labelling

Key takeaways

Labelling belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Labelling to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Labelling from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Labelling or using a label is describing someone or something in a word or short phrase. For example, the label "criminal" may be used to describe someone who has broken a law. Labelling theory is a theory in sociology which ascribes labelling of people to control and identification of deviant behaviour. It has been argued that labelling is necessary for communication. However, the use of the term is often intended to highlight the fact that the label is a description applied from the outside, rather than something intrinsic to the labelled thing. This can be done for several reasons:

To provoke a discussion about what the best description is To reject a particular label To reject the whole idea that the labelled thing can be described in a short phrase. This last usage can be seen as an accusation that such a short description is overly-reductive. Giving something a label can be seen as positive, but the term label is not usually used in this case. For example, giving a name to a common identity is seen as essential in identity politics. Labelling is often equivalent to pigeonholing or the use of stereotypes and can suffer from the same problems as these activities. The labelling of people can be related to a reference group. For example, the labels black and white are related to black people and white people; the labels young and old are related to young people and old people. The labelling of works of art can be related to genre. For example, a piece of music may be described as progressive rock or indie or ragga jungle drum and bass. However, there are other labels that can be applied to a work, such as derivative, low or high. The use of the word labelling is less common in the context of works of art than people. However, it also often represents the rejection of a label. For example, an artist may feel that the labeller is attempting to restrict the scope of the artist's work to that which is covered by the label.

On the internet Labelling on the web represents the chunks of information in information environments, where labelling is perhaps the most obvious way to show a site's organization schemes across multiple systems and contexts. Labelling systems are one of the major components in information architecture, and one of the first steps of an information architecture project is to identify, organize and label relevant chunks of information. When creating labels, the goal is to communicate efficiently, and without taking up too much space. Labels should be written in a language that's familiar to the users, and in a way that they will detect new and recognize similar concepts. In an information environment, labels are either textual or iconic.

Textual labels Contextual links are hyperlinks to information on other pages or another location on the same page, and need to draw meaning from their surrounding text. Labels are often used as headings to present subsequent information and create a hierarchy within contents. A hierarchical relationship between headings is established visually through consistent use of numbering, font size, color and styles, white spaces, indentation, or a combination of these items. When used in a navigation system there is no standard, but common categories might be:

Main, Main Page, Home Search, Find, Browse, Search/Browse Site Map, Contents, Table of contents, Index Contact, Contact Us Help, FAQ, News, News and events, News and announcements, Announcements About, About us, About, Who we are. Index terms are often referred to as keywords, tags, descriptive metadata, taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, and thesauri. Such labelling systems can describe any type of content such as sites, subsites, pages, or content chunks.

Iconic labels Icons can serve as a substitute for text to represent information. Iconic labels are used as navigation systems, especially in mobile apps, where screen space is constrained.

Labelling in science

Mario Bunge (1967) rejected labelling (labeling) as 'name calling' and 'pseudo-explanation'. Furthermore, he observed that it 'is conspicuous in ideological debate, in pseudoscience, and even in the early stages of science (protoscience).'

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Labelling

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Labelling claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Labelling before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Labelling ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Labelling

In research: Labelling appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Labelling in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Labelling is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Information architecture, Labeling theory, Labels, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Labelling outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Labelling in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Labelling means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Labelling out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Labelling in simple terms?

Labelling or using a label is describing someone or something in a word or short phrase. For example, the label "criminal" may be used to describe someone who has broken a law.

Why does Labelling matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Labelling?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Labelling.