Glossary of terms used in the Toolsuite and other DIAMAS resources.
While exact definitions for these terms may differ depending on viewpoints, the authors of this tool suite have agreed on the definitions based on their expertise and relevant available sources, which are included under each term where appropriate.
We welcome feedback and thoughts on the glossary which will be considered during the regular update cycles.
The design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers).
Reference/derivation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility
Formal rules your organisation puts in place to achieve its accessibility requirements: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards organisation for the Internet.
Reference/derivation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_Content_Accessibility_Guidelines
These are indicators that measure and monitor the reach and impact of published research outputs through online interactions, counting things such as downloads, shares, usage across countries, social media mentions etc. Measurements are made for a singular research output rather than across a whole journal, for example.
A rights regime that grants exclusive rights to creators of original works, including literary, artistic, musical, and other creative expressions, allowing them to control how their works are used and distributed.
A file format is a standard way of encoding information so that it can be stored in a computer file. It defines the structure and type of data that the file contains: how information is organised, encoded, and represented. Thanks to this, the data stored in files can be consistently interpreted, accessed, and processed by software applications.
File formats widely used in the context of scholarly publishing include:
Reference/derivation: https://opendatahandbook.org/guide/en/appendices/file-formats/
Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a licence that grants the right to use, modify, and distribute the software, modified or not, to everyone free of charge, as opposed to proprietary software, where the restrictive copyright or licensing is used and the source code is not available to users.
Reference/derivation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software
Equitable or fair representation of people of different genders. It most commonly refers to an equitable ratio of men and women, but also includes people of other genders (e.g. intersex, nonbinary, trans).
Reference/derivation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_diversity
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a conceptual framework that claims to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially in the workplace, including populations who have historically been under-represented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity, disability, etc.
Reference/derivation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity,_equity,_and_inclusion
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC is part of the data protection package adopted in May 2016 aiming at making Europe fit for the digital age. This Regulation lays down rules relating to the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and rules relating to the free movement of personal data.
Reference/derivation: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679
Indexing is the process of listing scholarly titles by discipline, type of publication, region, etc. Sometimes referred to as bibliographic or citation indexes, journal indexing aims to make published information widely available and easy to access. Inclusion in an index usually involves an assessment process for relevance and quality.
Interoperability is the ability of different systems, devices, or software to communicate, exchange data, interact and work together smoothly and efficiently. It involves the establishment of common standards, protocols, and interfaces to facilitate smooth communication among systems
Metadata provides information about data. Specifically, it is machine-readable data that describes content, context and structure of resources and their management over time. In the context of scholarly publishing, metadata are pieces of information that describe published outputs (articles, books, journals, etc.).
Metadata standard is a set of rules and guidelines that define the structure and format of metadata. It ensures that resources are described consistently and that descriptions are understandable and usable across different platforms.
A specific implementation of a metadata standard tailored to a particular context or use case is called metadata schema. It details how the elements defined in a standard should be used and it often includes additional rules and guidelines.
Reference/derivation: RDA Metadata Standards Catalogue: https://rdamsc.bath.ac.uk/
A metadata exchange protocol is a set of rules and standards that governs the transfer of metadata between systems, applications, or services. These protocols facilitate the sharing, discovery, and use of metadata and ensure interoperability, and consistent interpretation of metadata across various systems and platforms.
Commonly used metadata exchange protocols
In scholarly publishing, the presence and use of more than one language to disseminate research rather than relying on a single language for scholarly communication. This could include translating individual publications into more than one language, but it also entails a publishing ecosystem where publishing takes place in a variety of languages even when the works published are not translations of one another (e.g. one journal article may be published in Finnish, another in Polish, and another in French).
Reference/derivation: Inspired by the Helsinki Initiative (https://www.helsinki-initiative.org/)
Legal text that can be used by copyright holders to grant rights to the public for using their works beyond what is allowed by the applicable copyright law by default.
Open science (OS) is defined as an inclusive construct that combines various movements and practices aiming to make multilingual scientific knowledge openly available, accessible and reusable for everyone, to increase scientific collaborations and sharing of information for the benefits of science and society, and to open the processes of scientific knowledge creation, evaluation and communication to societal actors beyond the traditional scientific community. It comprises all scientific disciplines and aspects of scholarly practices, including basic and applied sciences, natural and social sciences and the humanities, and it builds on the following key pillars: open scientific knowledge, open science infrastructures, science communication, open engagement of societal actors and open dialogue with other knowledge systems.
Reference/derivation: Unesco Recommendation on Open Science
A persistent identifier (PID) is a long-lasting reference to a digital object, person, organisation, or other entity. It is unique to an entity and remains stable over time, i.e. it resolves even if the location of the entity changes.
PIDs widely used in scholarly publishing:
Reference/derivation: PID Services Registry: https://pidservices.org/
Preprints are often defined as complete and public drafts of scientific documents, not yet certified by peer review. However, some authors of preprints do not intend to publish them in a peer-reviewed publication. Additionally, a preprint can be large datasets with descriptions, protocols, (parts of) a thesis, presentations, reports of negative results, commentaries, videos, and more, which do not pass a standard peer review process. A preprint can also be peer-reviewed by a community, by a combination of artificial intelligence with human expert peer review, or by reviewers exclusively. Ambiguities and disagreements around the definition of preprints need to be addressed to offer more precise and less anachronistic terms in such an innovative area. The main purpose of preprints is to disseminate research results to the scientific community, establish ownership of results, and receive feedback from the professional community before submission to a journal. Preprints, “not filtered by their perceived quality or pertinence”, can reduce the competitive pressure imposed on researchers and reduce the negative consequences of filtering scholarly information.
Reference/derivation: Stojanovski, J., Marušić, A. (2024). Preprints Are Here to Stay: Is That Good for Science?. In: Eaton, S.E. (eds) Second Handbook of Academic Integrity. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54144-5_145
Research integrity (RI) encompasses a set of principles and practices that ensure researchers conduct their work ethically and with methodological rigour, fostering trust and confidence in the research process and its outcomes. Key elements include honesty, rigour, transparency, accountability, and respect for all participants. These principles should guide researchers at all stages of their work, from conceptualization to dissemination. Upholding research integrity is crucial for maintaining the credibility and reliability of scientific knowledge and fostering a relationship of trust between the research community and society. Various frameworks and guidelines, such as the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and institutional codes of conduct, provide guidance and standards for maintaining research integrity.
Reference/derivation: https://ukrio.org/research-integrity/
Scientific misconduct refers to the violation of standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behaviour in the publication of professional scientific research. It constitutes a breach of scientific integrity, encompassing violations of the scientific method and research ethics across the design, conduct, and reporting of research. Examples of scientific misconduct include fabrication (making up results), falsification (manipulating research materials or data), plagiarism (appropriating another person's ideas or words without proper credit), misrepresentation of data, failing to declare or appropriately manage conflicts of interest, and breaching legal, ethical and professional requirements needed for research. Motivations for scientific misconduct may include career pressure, ease of fabrication, and monetary gain.
Reference/derivation: https://ukrio.org/research-integrity/what-is-research-misconduct/
Responsible Research (RR) is an approach aimed at anticipating and assessing the potential implications and societal expectations regarding research and innovation, with the goal of fostering the design of inclusive and sustainable practices. It involves engaging societal actors in collaborative processes throughout the entire research and innovation lifecycle, from agenda setting to implementation and evaluation, to align outcomes with societal values and needs. RRI encompasses various dimensions such as governance, ethics, gender equality, open access, citizen participation, and scientific education. The overarching aim of RRI is to ensure that research and innovation are conducted ethically, sustainably, and in a socially desirable manner, thereby promoting creativity and opportunities that benefit society as a whole.
Reference/derivation: https://tetrris.eu/what-is-responsible-research-and-innovation-rri/#
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimising (adjusting) the online content to adhere to the technical requirements of search engines with the aim of improving its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages and increasing web traffic.
Reference/derivation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization
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