ASTM_E_1964_-_98.pdf

Designation:E 1964 98Standard Practice forCompiling and Writing&Terminology1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1964;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon(e)indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice describes a systematic procedure for com-piling and writing a terminology.1.2 This practice is intended to provide a systematic proce-dure for compiling and presenting a terminology,glossary,orsystem of terms for a committee or other organization.1.3 The procedures outlined in this practice are intended toassist users in writing technical documentation for terms thatare built on accurate and useful definitions.2.Referenced Documents2.1ISO Documents:2ISO 704:1987 Principles and Methods of TerminologyISO 10241:1992 Terminology Standards Preparation andLayoutISO 12620 TerminologyComputer ApplicationsDataCategoriesISO 1087 Terminology StudiesVocabulary3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 definition,nstatement that describes a concept andpermits its differentiation from other concepts within a systemof concepts.(ISO 1087)3.1.2 terminology,na set of terms representing the con-cepts of a field.4.Summary of Practice4.1 This practice provides a systematic methodology forselecting terms and compiling a terminology.5.Significance and Use5.1 Lists of terms and their definitions are essential to themanagement of terminology.In a technical committee or otherorganization,terminology management helps ensure that termsare used and defined consistently within its publications,thereby contributing to a consistent level of quality in publi-cations that promotes improved communication.5.1.1 Readers of documents need to identify key terms usedand to know the precise meanings intended by the authors.5.1.2 Vocal and written communications are clearer andmore effective when based on a conceptual comprehension ofthe significant terms.5.1.3 Specialized terms used in documents serve as key-words for retrieving information from databases.5.1.4 A comprehensive term list serves as the primarymeans of introducing the important technical concepts of acommittee or organization.5.2 This practice is intended for use by subject-matterspecialists regardless of the extent of their knowledge in thefield of terminology management.Use of the practice shouldprovide a degree of assurance to an organization that attentionhas been paid to terminology issues.5.3 This practice may also be used by an author of adocument to provide a terminology for readers.6.Procedure6.1 Assemble relevant documents.6.2 Select terms.List all significant terms whose meaningsare needed for full and precise comprehension of the docu-ments.6.2.1 Generate the term list from the terms,abbreviations,and other short forms(such as a acronyms and initialisms)thatare found in the documents.Include terms from titles,ab-stracts,and summaries.List abbreviated terms separately,evenif they are also included as part of a term entry.6.2.2 List terms in the title,scope,and abstract of thedocument that can serve as keys to the subject matter of thedocument.6.2.3 Identify and list unique terms or those with unusual ornovel meaning.Clearly identify those terms that are coined forthe purposes of the document or given a specialized meaningthat is applicable for the purposes of that document.6.2.4 Include compound terms.6.2.4.1 Avoid selecting a compound term with more thanthree words for a terminology,unless it forms part of a set ofrelated terms that are used in the document and needs to bedistinguished or clarified.6.2.4.2 Accept compounds that are in common use in thefield,even if they are longer than three words.6.2.4.3 Do not editorially add hyphens in compound terms.6.2.4.4 Recognize that a compound term of two or morewords may result in more than one term being listed.6.3 Identify and group the terms conceptually.Conceptsmay be identified by descriptions or draft definitions.1This practice is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee E-2 on Terminologyand is the direct responsibility of E02.10 on Standards.Current edition approved July 10,1998.Published December 1998.2Available from American National Standards Institute,11 W.42nd St.,13thfloor,New York,NY 10036.1AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS100 Barr Harbor Dr.,West Conshohocken,PA 19428Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards.Copyright ASTM6.3.1 Describe,as clearly as possible,significant concepts inthe text to which terms have been assigned,and,if needed,identify related concepts that may require new terms to beassigned.6.3.2 Group or associate terms referring to closely relatedconcepts.6.4 Write or choose definitions for the listed terms.6.4.1 Before writing a definition,study possible sourcematerial for existing definitions that may be suitable.6.4.2 If a suitable definition