Best practices related to references (*)

In IATE, every term, definition and context must have a reference to a source.

On this page you will find the following sections:

MINIMUM INFORMATION

For all types of references, start with these key pieces of information:

  • Title: make sure to cite the main title of the source that you have used.
  • Author/editor: if you cannot find the name of the author for a specific web page, use the name of the ‘corporate author’ (i.e. the name of the organisation or company to which the web page/website belongs).
  • Date: include the date of the source’s publication, as well as the date you consulted it. The publication date is usually a year, but some sources include the full date (day/month/year). Some websites also include the copyright date/date of last update. If none of this information is available, the consultation date will suffice (if a hyperlink is added, the consultation date is automatically included).
When the source is a glossary, dictionary or encyclopedia, always include the headword in the reference.
GENERAL GUIDELINES

When working on a terminological entry, there are several steps to follow, apart from just filling in the basic fields of information, to ensure the quality of the entry. As the case for every entry is different, try at the very least to keep these general guidelines in mind:

  • Mandatory references: make sure to provide a reference for every term, definition and context. If the source is a document (rather than a person or institution), the term, definition or context must be contained in the source referred to.
  • Optional references: other fields, such as ‘Language level note’, ‘Term note’, ‘Language usage’ and ‘Regional usage’, also have reference fields, but they are optional.
  • Be clear and precise:
    • References to documentary sources must be sufficiently comprehensible and precise for users to be able to find and consult them if need be. Avoid abbreviations.
    • References should be to a credible authority in the relevant field.
  • Original vs. translation:
    • Reference documents should be originals and preferably written by a native speaker.
    • Translations should only be used if they are authentic from a legal point of view or if they are recognised as authoritative.
  • Restricted access: if you are aware of sources with a restricted access policy (subscription or other), this should be indicated by adding ‘(restricted access)’ after the hyperlink or URL.
  • Respect copyright rules: adhere to copyright guidelines at all times.
  • Multiple references:
    • Store multiple references in separate reference fields, by clicking on the ‘Add reference’ icon.
    • If you insert multiple term references, make sure that the most important reference appears first (only the first one will be included in any SDLTB or TBX export file created). You can sort references by opening the group of references for editing and then dragging the ‘Sort’ icon for one reference onto the ‘Sort’ icon of another reference.
  • URLs:
    • Make sure URLs are stored through the ‘Add link‘ button. The date of consultation will be appended automatically to the reference in the specific language date format.
    • Sources accessible via the internet are preferable and the primary or direct source URL should be used (rather than a secondary URL that directs you to the source from a metasearch tool or search engine).

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