A type of flat controlled vocabulary that consists of a list of labels and terms which can be used for establishing the acceptable content, for example a metadata element or database field. Related GuideSynonyms: Authority Files

A service available via the internet that provides a catalog of resources. A clearinghouse usually emphasizes discovery of resources, particularly data sets.

A type of flat controlled vocabulary consisting of a set of codes and their meanings, in use in a specific project. Related GuideSynonyms: Code Lists

A list or hierarchy of required metadata elements to be included in the metadata description. Related GuideSynonyms: Content Standards

A managed list of terms. In the context of vocabularies, management typically includes careful selection of terms, maintenance of terms over time (i.e. addition, deprecation, modification), and presentation of the vocabulary in an accessible format. Related GuideSynonyms: Controlled Vocabularies, CV, CVs

Documents that map metadata elements between different metadata standards. Related GuideSynonyms: Metadata Crosswalk, Vocabulary Mappings, Vocabulary Mapping, Crosswalk

In the context of crosswalking, rules are a process which define how to deal consistently with complex element mappings. Rules are created and applied during the mapping of elements from the source schema to the target schema, when one-to-one relationships between schema elements do not exist. Related GuideSynonyms: Crosswalking Rules

In the context of metadata, a dictionary is a type of controlled flat vocabulary, which provides a list of metadata terms, definitions and additional information within a specific domain. Related GuideSynonyms: Dictionaries

Use of metadata values or vocabularies to find metadata or data sets. Related GuideSynonyms: Discovery Metadata, Discovery Vocabulary, Discovery Vocabularies

A managed list of acceptable metadata terms that associates acceptable values with particular metadata elements. Flat vocabularies include authority files, glossaries, dictionaries, code lists, and gazetteers. Related GuideSynonyms: Flat Vocabularies