Intended Audience and Contact Information
| Contact | Chief Data Officer, Office of the CIO |
|---|---|
| Intended audience | Internal UBC |
| UDM Domain | All |
Purpose
This guideline provides recommendations for defining university glossary terms. Conformance to this guideline will allow users to include key required items to conform with industry standards.
Guideline
A data definition shall:
- be stated in singular form
- state what the concept is, not just what it is not
- be stated as a descriptive phrase or sentence(s)
- contain only commonly understood abbreviations/acronyms [define, if require]
- be expressed without embedding definitions of other data or underlying concepts
A data definition should:
- state the essential meaning and unique characteristics of the concept [i.e. ‘what it is’]
- be precise
- be concise
- be able to stand alone
- be expressed without embedding rationale, functional usage, or procedural information [i.e. non-definition information]
- avoid circular reasoning
- use the same terminology and consistent logical structure for related definitions
- use plain English wordings and accessible for general audience
- exclude the term being defined
- start with a noun or noun phrase [i.e. a broader concept higher than the subject concept]
| Unpolished definition | Revised definition | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| FTEs: FTEs are the workload of employees or students converted to a proportion of a full-time work-load. | Full-time Equivalent: The workload of a person converted to a proportion of a full-time work-load during a given period of time. | Start in singular Define acronym separately Exclude the subject term |
| Reviewer: A senior person, such as a unit manager, can be assigned to review an outcome of a user task. | Reviewer: A user who is assigned to review an outcome of a user task. | Start with noun of broader concept Use of relative clause 'who' Concise Stand alone Exclude example Exclude procedural information |
| Employee: Person corresponding to the employee Identifier. | Employee: A person who is employed for wages or salary. | Avoid circular definition |
Baccalaureate Degree: A credential which is awarded at the completion of a baccalaureate program. Master's Degree: The credential awarded upon completion of a Master's program. |
Baccalaureate Degree: A credential which is awarded at the completion of a baccalaureate program. Master's Degree: A credential which is awarded at the completion of a Master's program. |
Maintain the same terminology and consistent logical structure for related definitions |
Sample Term Definition Structure
Proceed to the University Glossary
References
ISO/IEC 11179-4 Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR) — Part 4: Formulation of data definitions
https://standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/c035346_ISO_IEC_11179-4_2004(E).zip
How to Define Business Terms in Plain English: A Primer
http://www.brsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/How-to-Define-Business-Terms-Primer.pdf