Direct answer
Entities with the same or similar names must not be merged on the basis of name alone. Resolve each entity separately by combining stable identifiers, entity type, legal name, geography, ownership, relationships, dates and reliable sources.
In plain language
A school may have two pupils named 'Ahmet Yılmaz'. A teacher does not rely on the name alone; they use the class, pupil number and date of birth to find the correct person.
Why this matters
A false merge can transfer one company's award to another company or one person's role to somebody else. A false split divides one entity into several fragments and scatters its evidence.
Do not confuse
- False merge: treating different entities as one.
- False split: treating one entity as several.
- Entity linking: connecting a record to the correct canonical entity.
What should you do?
- Use several distinguishing properties in addition to the name.
- Record a stable internal identifier and suitable external identifiers.
- Separate brand, company, person, product and place types.
- When uncertainty remains, delay the merge and record a confidence level.
- Manage corrections to false matches with a dated history.
How do you audit it?
- Is the match based on name alone?
- Do type, country, ownership and relationship data agree?
- Does the external identifier really belong to the same entity?
- Was conflicting evidence ignored?
- Does the merge decision have a confidence level and rationale?
Limit
No single identifier is infallible in every context. Entity resolution requires several signals and current evidence.
Remember in one sentence
The same name does not prove the same entity; a different name does not necessarily prove a different entity.
Sources for this record
- S08Schema.org, *Data Model*Standard and community vocabulary
- S12ORCID, *ORCID Trust*Identity infrastructure
- S13ROR, *ROR Data Structure*Identity infrastructure
- S17Wikidata, *Help: Statements*Identity infrastructure