Defined scope
- Stable URIs
- Entity identifiers
- RDF statements
- JSON-LD publication
- Semantic web interoperability
CONCEPT
Linked Data
Linked Data is a web publishing approach that identifies things with stable URIs and connects them through machine-readable statements.
Linked Data gives public knowledge systems a way to make entities, pages, references and datasets interoperable across sites and software systems.
active
research
EDITORIAL FRAME
What this entry establishes.
A concise view of its scope, position, limitations and supporting sources.
Editorial position
- Linked Data principles are useful even when a site remains statically generated.
- Public knowledge pages should distinguish the page URL from the entity identifier it describes.
Explicit limits
- Unstructured hyperlinks without machine-readable entity identity
- Private database IDs that never resolve to public records
Tags and disciplines
Linked DataSemantic WebJSON-LDRDFURIKnowledge SystemsWeb DevelopmentSEOInformation Architecture
References behind this page
- Cool URIs for the Semantic Web Leo Sauermann and Richard Cyganiak / W3C / 2008-12-03
- JSON-LD 1.1 W3C / 2020-07-16
Definition
Linked Data is a way of publishing structured information on the Web so that things can be identified, described and connected across systems. It depends on stable identifiers, explicit statements and formats that machines can read without losing the human context.
The principle is simple: a page can describe an entity, but the page and the entity are not the same thing. Electronic Artefacts uses canonical public pages for humans and /id/ identifier routes for machine-readable identity. That separation makes it possible to cite a concept, inspect its JSON-LD and connect it to other records.
Scope
Linked Data covers entity identifiers, canonical URLs, JSON-LD, RDF-compatible statements, structured data, citations and relationship exports. It does not require every site to run a graph database. A static site can publish Linked Data if it generates stable URLs, structured metadata and consistent identifiers.
Why it matters
Search engines, AI retrieval systems, archives and external tools need more than good prose. They need to know what a page is about, who published it, when it changed, what it cites, and how it connects to other things. Linked Data provides a vocabulary for that layer.
Electronic Artefacts position
Electronic Artefacts uses Linked Data pragmatically. The goal is not to become a standards demonstration. The goal is to make concepts, programs, projects and publications citable and durable. JSON-LD is especially useful because it works with ordinary JSON-based web tooling while preserving Linked Data semantics.
Applications
Useful applications include article structured data, concept identifiers, project metadata, publication citation, archive provenance, graph exports, internal search and future external data integration.
Limitations
Linked Data does not solve editorial quality. A malformed graph can be perfectly machine-readable and intellectually useless. The durable value comes from combining explicit identifiers with careful writing, sources, evidence and review.
References
See W3C Cool URIs for the Semantic Web, JSON-LD 1.1, RDF 1.1 Concepts and the Electronic Artefacts JSON-LD output.
DOCUMENTED RELATIONSHIPS
Connected work and ideas.
Each link names the relationship between two entries and why it matters.
AI Search, Structured Content and Knowledge Graph SEO
AI Search, Structured Content and Knowledge Graph SEO explains how Linked Data supports crawlable, machine-readable public knowledge pages.
Linked Data and Public Knowledge Pages
Linked Data and Public Knowledge Pages documents Linked Data as a publishing discipline for public knowledge pages.
Hypertext and Augmented Knowledge Systems
Hypertext and Augmented Knowledge Systems links hypertext practice to Linked Data and stable identifiers.
IIIF and Compound Cultural Objects
IIIF and Compound Cultural Objects documents Linked Data as one of its declared subjects.
Verifiable Credentials for Cultural Archives and Creator Identity
Verifiable Credentials for Cultural Archives and Creator Identity documents Linked Data as one of its declared subjects.
WebMCP and the Agentic Web
WebMCP and the Agentic Web documents Linked Data as one of its declared subjects.
How can software become explainable through its own knowledge graph?
The research question "How can software become explainable through its own knowledge graph?" applies Linked Data as part of its current model.
Knowledge Hub Foundations
Linked Data is an explicit member of the Knowledge Hub Foundations collection.
Record details Metadata, sharing and citation
Linked Data
Cite this page
Linked Data. 1.0.0. Electronic Artefacts, 2026-06-23. https://electronicartefacts.com/knowledge/concepts/linked-data/
Nearby relationships
8 public links connect this page to nearby projects, concepts and references.