Classificatory decision-making as a situated ethical practice: an analytical framework grounded in UDC-based educational contexts

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Purpose This study examines classificatory decision-making as a situated ethical practice in knowledge organization, addressing the gap between theoretical discussions of ethics and their enactment in classificatory practice. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, exploratory approach was adopted, analyzing outputs from 74 undergraduate Library and Information Science students engaged in problem-based activities using the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC). The corpus was examined through thematic analysis focusing on representation problems, decision types, representation strategies, ethical interventions and complexity. Findings The findings suggest that classification operates as an interpretive practice in which students mobilize syntactic and semantic strategies to address representational limitations of classification systems, particularly in culturally sensitive contexts. The study identifies five types of classificatory decisions, including “impossibility of representation,” and introduces a complexity–operability paradox that captures tensions between semantic expressiveness and practical applicability. Research limitations/implications The study is based on classificatory outputs produced in an educational context and therefore does not directly represent professional classificatory practice. Nevertheless, the focus on classificatory decisions as the unit of analysis enabled the identification of patterns relevant to ethical decision-making in knowledge organization. Future studies may test the framework in professional environments and in other classification systems. Practical implications The framework may support classification teaching, professional training, and the critical evaluation of knowledge organization systems. By making explicit the relationships among representational problems, classificatory decisions, operational strategies, and ethical considerations, it provides a tool for reflecting on how classification systems are applied in culturally sensitive and socially complex contexts. Social implications By highlighting the ethical dimensions of classificatory decision-making, the study contributes to ongoing discussions about inclusion, representation and cultural diversity in knowledge organization. The proposed framework may support more critical reflection on how classification systems shape the visibility of social groups, knowledge traditions and culturally situated perspectives within information environments. Originality/value The article proposes and empirically grounds an analytical framework structured around four interrelated dimensions – problematization of representation classificatory decision-making, representation strategies and ethical intervention – thereby advancing the integration of ethics into knowledge organization research and practice and contributing to ongoing discussions on ethics, cultural warrant and knowledge organization.