Terminology Standards
This document defines the linguistic, editorial, and structural standards for all terminology used across the Aevum Encyclopedia. Adherence ensures consistency, accessibility, and academic rigor.
Overview
Aevum Encyclopedia operates as a multilingual, interdisciplinary knowledge platform. To maintain coherence across millions of articles, contributors must follow standardized terminology practices. These rules govern how concepts are named, referenced, formatted, and evolved over time.
All new submissions and revisions must pass the terminology validation pipeline. Non-compliant entries will be flagged for editorial review before publication.
Core Principles
- Precision: Terms must map unambiguously to their conceptual referents. Avoid colloquialisms in formal definitions.
- Consistency: Once a term is standardized, it must be used uniformly across all language variants and cross-references.
- Neutrality: Prefer scientifically or historically verified nomenclature over politically or culturally loaded alternatives.
- Accessibility: Where specialized jargon is unavoidable, provide inline plain-language equivalents on first mention.
- Evolution: Terminology is living. Deprecated terms must be archived, not deleted, with clear migration paths.
Naming Conventions
| Category | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| First Mention | Full term + optional acronym in parentheses | Quantum entanglement (QE) |
| Subsequent Use | Acronym or shortened form only | QE demonstrates non-local correlation |
| Foreign Terms | Original script + transliteration + translation | 道 (dào) – “the way” |
| Proper Nouns | Title case, no quotation marks | Schwarzschild metric |
| Pluralization | Standard English rules; Latin/Greek retain original where common | criterion → criteria, phenomenon → phenomena |
Acronyms are only permitted if used in ≥3 peer-reviewed sources within the last 10 years. Experimental or community-specific abbreviations must be defined inline and marked as [non-standard].
Formatting & Style
- Italics
- Used for Latin/Greek scientific names, foreign words not yet assimilated, titles of publications, and emphasis in definitions.
- Bold
- Reserved for key concepts being defined, cross-reference anchors, and section headings. Never used for stylistic emphasis.
- Code/Inline Monospace
- Applied to variable names, programming keywords, mathematical notation (when not in LaTeX), and technical identifiers.
- Capitalization
- Sentence case for all body text. Title case only for proper nouns, formal titles, and standardized taxonomic ranks.
Disciplinary Guidelines
Different fields have distinct nomenclature traditions. The following overrides apply per domain:
Life Sciences
- Binomial nomenclature: Genus species (italicized, genus capitalized)
- Gene symbols:
BRCA1(italic for humans, not for mice/rats) - Units: SI only, with metric prefixes (e.g.,
µmol/L)
Humanities & Social Sciences
- Historical periods: Capitalized (e.g., Renaissance, Meiji era)
- Theoretical frameworks: Lowercase unless named after a person (e.g., Marxism, postcolonial theory)
- Cultural terms: Retain original diacritics; provide glossing on first use
Technology & Engineering
- Standards bodies: Reference by ISO/IEEE/ANSI codes (e.g.,
IEEE 802.11) - Protocols & APIs: CamelCase or kebab-case as officially documented
- Versioning: Always include major.minor.patch (e.g.,
Python 3.12.1)
Glossary Management
All terms must be registered in the central Aevum Taxonomy Registry. The lifecycle of a term follows four states:
| State | Description | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
DRAFT |
Proposed but unverified | Peer review + source citation |
ACTIVE |
Published & in use | Regular usage audit |
DEPRECATED |
Replaced by updated terminology | Redirect to successor term |
ARCHIVED |
Historical/obsolete reference | Preserve with era tag |
Never delete a term. Instead, mark it DEPRECATED, add a <redirect> tag, and document the rationale in the change log. Historical accuracy requires traceability.
Version Control & Semantic Tagging
Terminology updates are tracked via semantic versioning aligned with the encyclopedia’s release cycles:
- MAJOR: Structural overhauls (e.g., merging disciplines, reclassifying taxonomies)
- MINOR: New term additions, field expansions, or guideline clarifications
- PATCH: Typographical corrections, citation fixes, or minor rewording
All changes must include a changelog.yaml entry with:
Contributor Notes
If you encounter ambiguous terminology, conflicting nomenclature, or propose a new standard:
- Submit a
TERMINOLOGY_REQUESTvia the contributor portal - Include ≥3 authoritative sources
- Specify affected disciplines and language variants
- Await editorial board validation (typically 3–5 business days)
Violations of these standards may result in entry suspension or contributor tier reduction. Consistency protects the integrity of the knowledge graph.