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Acknowledgements List of Wordlists

List of Wordlists

The wordlists shown below are organised by the MIDAS unit of information that they relate to. Click on a Wordlist Title to see a full description of the wordlist. Descriptions of wordlists in Dark Green are not available at the moment. A key to the wordlist descriptions is provided below. Consult the MIDAS Units of Information Dictionary for further details of MIDAS unit definitions.

Key to Wordlist Descriptions

Each wordlist description includes the following information:

• A Title and Version number, plus the Date of publication of this version
• Midas Unit
  The unit of information - the fundamental fact that is being recorded - from the MIDAS standard for which this resource is appropriate. It is the intention that each MIDAS unit that requires controlled entry for terminology will have at least one list in the INSCRIPTION framework. Some units may have several different wordlists listed, for example the unit Monument Type, each of which is appropriate to a particular type of recording. Check the descriptions to see which may be best for your use. Consult the MIDAS Units of Information Dictionary for further details of MIDAS unit definitions.
• Description
  A short note describing the origin of the wordlist, relevant notes for usage, and any recent changes for this version.
• Format
  The format used to organize the terms in the wordlist (a simple wordlist, a thesaurus etc.). Also included is a note of the necessary database field Type and Width required to store terms in digital version of the wordlist, plus an indication of the number of terms in the current version to assist in planning the use of a given wordlist.
• Status
  The current status of this version of the wordlist. Used to track the development of wordlists from original compilation to final redundancy. Terms used are as follows:-
  • Draft
    The wordlist is currently under development and discussion by FISH. Terms may be subject to change. Comments are welcome from potential users on the structure or content.
  • Candidate
    A resource developed by another standards body, or submitted by a group other than FISH, is under discussion for inclusion in INSCRIPTION. This may be relevant for example, where a list developed by a standards body in another discipline, for example ecology or museums documentation, is being considered for inclusion.
  • Operational
    A resource has been formally accepted for inclusion in INSCRIPTION by FISH, and is in use by one or more FISH contributing organisations. Suggestions for additional terms ('Candidate' terms) are always welcome. Development of these standards is continuous.
  • Closed
    The wordlist has been superseded by a more recent version, or replaced by a new wordlist.
• Coverage (Date)
  Some resources may be limited in the periods covered by the terms. Where this is the case the relevant periods are indicated, otherwise All periods is used.
• Coverage (Area)
  An indication of the areas in which terms in the wordlist are recommended for use, within the UK. INSCRIPTION was developed by the members of FISHEN, predecessor to FISH, which had a mainly English focus. Many of the resources listed in INSCRIPTION are in use in other U.K. regions, but until they have been approved by regional standards groups, they are simply listed as covering England.
• Update Procedure
  All the wordlists in INSCRIPTION are managed by one or more of the FISH contributing organisation, and the forum is committed to the continual improvement of these wordlists by the addition of new terms ('Candidate Terms'). The update procedure sets out how the process of including additional terms is managed, and includes contact details where these are different from the 'Owner'. A general purpose Candidate Term submission form for is available on the INSCRIPTION site.
• Frequency of Change
  An assessment of how frequently the wordlist is updated. Where this is listed as Frequent it is advisable to contact the Owner for a current version.
• Owner
  The copyright owner of the wordlist. This will generally, but not necessarily, be the organization or group responsible for maintenance of the wordlist.
• Contact
  Contact details for further information about this wordlist.
• Rights
  While all FISH contributing organisations are committed to making the INSCRIPTION wordlists as widely available as possible, there may be a license or similar arrangement necessary to permit the inclusion of an INSCRIPTION wordlist in a database. Where this is the case the details are noted here.
• Availability
  A note of the format or formats in which the wordlist is available. Many can be browsed on-line.

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