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<glossary> Glossary Elements List

Section whose content is typically a list of terms and definitions, usually tagged as one or more two-part lists called <def-list>. Typically part of the back matter of a document.

Usage/Remarks

The model for <glossary> is deliberately broad in order to accommodate glossaries that are tabular, heavily annotated, constructed as a series of notes, or otherwise unusually constructed.
Glossaries are recursive with various levels indicated by containment, not by different names for the embedded glossaries. A typical simple <glossary> may contain only a title and a <def-list>. A more complex <glossary> may be divided into several different lists of terms, each headed by a title that describes the audience for the particular terms. These glossaries inside a glossary are tagged using the <glossary> element rather than a different, explicitly named element such as a <sub-glossary> or <glossary-sec>.
NLM DTD Historical Note
This element (<glossary>) was significantly remodeled from previous versions of this Tag Set. The current NISO JATS values are backward compatible with all JATS versions and with the final NLM version, but not with earlier NLM DTD versions. These prior versions modeled the <glossary> element, which is now a recursive structure, with a differently named interior list (<gloss-group>). The <gloss-group> element does not exist in this Tag Set, and can be translated directly to a <glossary> element during an upgrade conversion.
Attributes
content-type
specific-use

Multi-lang Attributes

lang-focus
lang-focus-custom
lang-group
lang-source
lang-source-custom
lang-translate
lang-variant
lang-variant-custom

Base Attributes

id
xml:base
xml:lang
Models and Context
May be contained in
<answer>, <back>, <explanation>, <glossary>, <option>, <question>
Description
The following, in order:
Content Model
<!ELEMENT  glossary     %glossary-model;                             >
Expanded Content Model

(title?, (p)*, def-list*, glossary*)

Tagged Sample

Multi-level glossary

<article dtd-version="1.4d1">
 ...
 <back>
  <glossary>
   <title>Glossary Terms, Acronyms, and Abbreviations</title>

   <glossary>
    <title>Abbreviations</title>
    <def-list>
     <def-item>
      <term id="G15">F</term>
      <def><p>female</p></def>
     </def-item>
     <def-item>
      <term id="G29">gnty</term>
      <def><p>genotype</p></def>
     </def-item>
     <def-item>
      <term id="G43">M</term>
      <def><p>male</p></def>
     </def-item>
    </def-list>
   </glossary>

   <glossary>
    <title>Acronyms</title>
    <def-list>
     <def-item>
      <term id="G62">NIH</term>
      <def><p>National Institutes of Health</p></def>
     </def-item>
     <def-item>
      <term id="G12">XML</term>
      <def><p>Extensible Markup Language</p></def>
     </def-item>
    </def-list>
   </glossary>

   <glossary>
    <title>Virology Terms and Phrases</title>
    <def-list>
     <def-item>
      <term id="G71">HBV</term>
      <def><p>hepatitis B virus</p></def>
     </def-item>
     <def-item>
      <term id="G33">HBsAg</term>
      <def><p>hepatitis B surface antigen</p></def>
     </def-item>
    </def-list>
   </glossary>
  </glossary>
  ...
  <ref-list>...</ref-list>
 </back>
</article>
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