Advancing Behavioural and Social Sciences through Ontologies: Protocol for the APRICOT Project

Progress in behavioural and social sciences is hindered by imprecise, incomplete and inconsistent reporting, and fragmented data and findings. The APRICOT (Advancing Prevention Research in Cancer through Ontology Tools) project aims to accelerate evidence integration and knowledge accumulation in the behavioural and social sciences by extending the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO) and related ontologies, developing accessible tools and resources for developing and using ontologies, and building a global Community of Practice of ontology developers and users. This five-year project, funded by the National Institutes of Health, brings together behavioural scientists and ontology experts across four countries to improve the precision and shared understanding of ontological terms used to report interventions. While potentially applicable to all behaviours, APRICOT will focus specifically on two key health-related behavioural patterns: tobacco use, and 24-hour movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep). The project has five main aims: (1) improving precision and shared understanding of ontological terms; (2) developing tools and resources for finding, creating, maintaining, and extending ontologies; (3) developing tools for ontology matching and alignment; (4) developing tools to improve research protocol and report writing, and theory use in intervention development; and (5) building a global Community of Practice for ontology developers and users. Key deliverables include extended ontologies with improved interoperability, user-friendly tools and resources for ontology management and use including tools for protocol and paper authoring, and a global Community of Practice. By implementing FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles and best practices for ontology development, APRICOT aims to transform how behavioural and social science research is conducted and reported, enhancing its impact on health promotion and disease prevention across diverse global contexts.