<term>

Definition List: Term

Word, phrase, graphic, chemical structure, equation, or other noun that is being defined or described.
This element is typically used in conjunction with a definition in a definition list (two-part list). The term occupies the first column of the two-part list and is the subject of the definition or description, which occupies the second column.

Remarks

Vocabulary Attribute Best Practice: If the content of the <term> element is a term from a controlled vocabulary (ontology, taxonomy, term-list, vocabulary, industry glossary, or other known source), the vocabulary attributes should be used to record that source. This source can be a formal ontology or an informal field of study (such as “chemistry”). Four attributes are used in this Tag Set to identify terms from such a controlled or an uncontrolled vocabulary:
vocab
Name of the controlled or uncontrolled vocabulary, taxonomy, ontology, index, database, or similar that is the source of the term. For example, for a subject term, a value might be the IPC Codes (“ipc”) or MESH headings (“mesh”). For an uncontrolled term, the value might be an area of study such as “medical-devices” or merely the word “uncontrolled”.
vocab-identifier
Unique identifier of the vocabulary, such as (but not limited to) a URI or DOI. For example, for Dublin Core (DCC), the identifier may be “http://dublincore.org/documents/2012/06/14/dces/”.
vocab-term
The content of the element is the display version of the vocabulary or taxonomic term. The @vocab-term attribute holds the canonical version of the same term, as it appears in the vocabulary. For example, if the attribute value is “digitized-vor”, the element might contain the display text “Digitized Version of Record”.
vocab-term-identifier
Unique identifier of the term within a specific vocabulary, such as (but not limited to) an item number, a URI, DOI, etc.

Related Elements

When Used in a Definition List: A <def-list> may take a <label> that provides it with a number or other designator, followed by an optional <title> naming the entire list, followed by optional headings for terms and their definitions. <term-head> contains the heading over the first (term) column, and <def-head> contains the heading for the second (definition) column; neither serves as a container element for terms or definitions. Individual <term>s and their <def>s are paired in <def-item>s. Definition lists are recursive, so following all the terms and definitions, there may be one or more embedded <def-list> elements.

Attributes

id Document Internal Identifier
rid Reference to an Identifier
specific-use Specific Use
term-status Term Status
term-type Type of Term
vocab Vocabulary/Taxonomy Name
vocab-identifier Vocabulary/Taxonomy Identifier
vocab-term Vocabulary/Taxonomy Term
vocab-term-identifier Vocabulary/Taxonomy Term Identifier
xml:base Base
xml:lang Language

Content Model

<!ELEMENT  term         (#PCDATA %term-elements;)*                   >

Expanded Content Model

(#PCDATA | email | ext-link | uri | inline-supplementary-material | related-article | related-object | hr | bold | fixed-case | italic | monospace | overline | overline-start | overline-end | roman | sans-serif | sc | strike | underline | underline-start | underline-end | ruby | alternatives | inline-graphic | inline-media | private-char | chem-struct | inline-formula | tex-math | mml:math | abbrev | index-term | index-term-range-end | milestone-end | milestone-start | named-content | styled-content | fn | target | xref | sub | sup | x | disp-formula | disp-formula-group | chem-struct-wrap | array | code | graphic | media | preformat)*

Description

Any combination of:

This element may be contained in:

<def-item>, <index-term>

Example 1

A definition list (two-part list):
<article dtd-version="1.2">
...
<back>
...
<glossary>
<def-list>
<title>ABBREVIATIONS</title>
<term-head>Abbreviation</term-head>
<def-head>Expansion</def-head>
<def-item><term id="G1">PAP I</term>
<def><p>poly(A)polymerase I</p></def>
</def-item>
<def-item><term id="G2">PNPase</term>
<def><p>polynucleotide phosphorylase</p></def>
</def-item>
</def-list>
</glossary>
...
</back>
</article>

Example 2

As part of an index term inside narrative text:
    
... 
<p>However, the First Amendment does not bar the 
issuance or execution of a warrant to search a 
newsroom<index-term><term>Newspapers</term>
<see-also><index-term><term>Speech and press</term>
</index-term></see-also></index-term> to obtain 
photographs of demonstrators who had injured several 
policemen, although the Court appeared ...</p>
...

Journal Archiving and Interchange Tag Library NISO JATS Version 1.2 (ANSI/NISO Z39.96-2019)

Version of May 2019

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