Types of references

There are different types of references, each requiring specific rules to be followed for its correct insertion into IATE.

On this page you will find out how to add references for each of the following types of sources:

EU DOCUMENTS

All language versions of EU legislation are regarded as authentic originals and are therefore the primary source for EU-specific terminology.

  • If the concept has been created by the EU, reference the relevant legal instrument.
  • If the term does not appear in the founding instrument, reference the founding instrument at LL (where you define the concept), and find another reliable source for the term at TL.
  • It may also be useful to include a reference to the relevant page(s) on EU websites (europa.eu) explaining the concept in plain language.

EU documents are not necessarily reliable sources of terminology for concepts which also exist independently of the EU. In these cases, the primary reference should ideally be to a non-EU source, e.g. the FAA for aviation terms, IMO for maritime terms, etc.

To promote consistent usage in EU texts, the primary reference may be supplemented by reference(s) to EU legislation. Try, however, to cite an instrument that discusses the concept in some detail.

For internal documents, the references should contain:

  • the short name for your institution,
  • the document number, and
  • the title of the document; if the document is confidential, do not use the full title.

Try to cite internal documents as references only if they are available to staff at the other institutions; provide a link if possible (e.g. to the Council register).

EUR-LEX DOCUMENTS

If these EU documents exist in EUR-Lex, you can look them up and insert them using the EUR-Lex reference module, which is available in every reference field: click on the ‘EUR-Lex search’  icon in the formatting bar.

  • There are four different search tabs you can use to retrieve EUR-Lex documents (via the document number, CELEX number or Official Journal, or by inputting all or part of the document title in the Textual search).
  • Once you have performed your search, select the correct option in the results list and click on the ‘Insert‘ button to insert it in the reference field. This will automatically insert the title and permanent EUR-Lex link as hypertext in the appropriate language.
  • You can make the EUR-Lex title more concise by removing the adopting institution, the date of adoption and other information such as ‘amending…’, ‘repealing…’ and ‘(Text with EEA relevance)’.
  • You can use the ‘Change capitalisation’ formatting button to change the inconsistent capitalisation in EUR-Lex titles.

Alternatively, you can click on the ‘Add link’ button, and use the formatting bar to insert the references manually.

TREATIES, CONVENTIONS AND AGREEMENTS

Cite treaties, conventions or agreements concisely by using the established short form followed by the article number. Mention the place or date of signing to avoid confusion.

EU treaties and protocols have a CELEX number and can therefore be searched for and inserted using the EUR-Lex reference module.

Wherever possible, references to international, non-EU documents should include a hyperlink where the text (of the article and/or the full instrument) can be consulted.

WEB PAGES AND WEBSITES

Include at least the following data:

  • Title, as displayed on the page, not the metadata title
  • Author/Editor, use the corporate author (i.e. the entity that owns the website) if no individual author or editor is named
  • URL, inserted via the ‘Add link’ button in the format bar
  • Date of consultation, inserted automatically in the specific language format when using the ‘Add link’ button.

If the reference is clearly to a web page, there is no need to write ‘website’.

Always include enough details so that the website or web page can still be found even if the link no longer works. If you are referring to a page that is part of a well-organised website, add breadcrumbs (pages of a website separated by ‘>’ symbols) to show the ‘path’ from the site’s homepage to the page in question.
For more information, check the language-specific annexes.
HUMAN SOURCES

Do not enter any personal data (names, email addresses, etc.) into IATE. Instead, include anonymous information which can be used to judge the person’s authority on the subject (i.e. their role, name of department and/or organisation) and the date of consultation.

You can cite your own entity (e.g. department or unit) as a reference. Mention at least your institution and after that either your language in ISO code, or in the case of entries worked on by coordinators, ‘Terminology Coordination‘. Optionally, you can add more information on your entity in parentheses, but then it has to be used in a consistent way by everybody from that entity. You can also include the date on which the term was discussed.

The form of the reference is the following:
[INSTITUTION]-[ISO-code] (additional information on the entity) (date)

Examples:
COM-EN
Raad-NL (Terminologie)

If the definition you have drafted is based on information found in an authoritative source (rather than directly taken from it), add to the reference field ‘based on‘, followed by the source reference.

Example: COM-Terminology Coordination, based on [source].

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