3.6.6. Other Elements

Sources

It is highly advisable to identify the source(s) of all terminological data (terms, synonyms, abbreviations, textual supports) included in your terminology records. Sources may be in recorded in full or in coded form (the latter can simplify the entry of data).

Originator

The name of the originator (author) of the record must also be indicated in full or in coded form. Users or updaters can then consult the originator if they have any questions. Many database management systems can be configured to enter the originator's name or code automatically.

Record Creation Date and Modification Date

The date on which the terminology record was created or modified is important, as it gives an indication of the "freshness" of the record. This is particularly important in technical and scientific fields where terminology becomes outdated quickly. The date on a record can help identify a potentially obsolete term. Many database management systems can be configured to enter the record creation and record modification dates automatically.

Language Identifier

Because terms in different languages can be similar in appearance, it is essential when creating bilingual or multilingual terminology records to avoid possible confusion by clearly identifying the language of terms on the record. This is usually done by using standard ISO international two- or three-letter codes such as EN for English, FR for French, ES for Spanish and so on.

Subject Field

Sometimes, the same concept may have different a designation depending on the subject field of use, or the same term may designate different concepts in different areas of specialization. For this reason, it is vital that you specify the subject field on each of your terminology records to remove any ambiguity.

It is useful to establish a list of subject fields (a subject-field classification system) when the terminological data collection is set up, so that subject fields are identified consistently throughout the life of the collection and no matter how many individuals are creating and updating records.