TS ISO 690
Information and documentation - Guidelines for bibliographic references and citations to information resources
This document describes a set of principles, guidelines, and requirements for the preparation of
bibliographic references and citations in works that are not themselves primarily bibliographical. It is
applicable to bibliographic references and citations for all kinds of information resources, including but
not limited to monographs, serials, contributions within monographs and serials, patents, cartographic
materials, artworks, performances and diverse electronic resources, such as research datasets,
databases, programs and applications, Web archives and social media, music, recorded sound, prints,
photographs, graphic and audio-visual materials, archival sources and moving images.
This document provides a system for citing information resources that renders deterministic output,
such that a citation generated by this system can be uniquely mapped back to the originally defined
set of source elements. This system is intended to be applicable across multiple languages. Citations
generated by this system are machine-parseable. The citation system described in this document can
be used as a configurable framework for building citation styles.
This document does not specify a data model for machine-readable citations, although such specification
may be provided in a separate document or added to a later edition of ISO 690.
Guidelines for legal citations, such as references to cases, statutes or treatises, are not addressed in
this document, since such guidelines are usually country-specific3). Recommendations with regards to
what kind of information resources may or may not be cited, or describing the risks involved with, for
example, citing social media, are not within the scope of this document4).
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About This Item
TS ISO 690 provides guidance for preparing bibliographic references and citations to information resources. It focuses on how references are formed in works that are not themselves primarily bibliographical, helping users describe sources in a consistent and traceable way.
How the citation framework is organised
The standard covers a wide range of resource types, not only traditional publications such as monographs and serials, but also contributions within them, patents, cartographic materials, artworks, performances, and diverse electronic resources. The scope explicitly includes research datasets, databases, programs and applications, web archives and social media, music, recorded sound, prints, photographs, graphic and audio-visual materials, archival sources, and moving images.
In general technical terms, a bibliographic citation is a structured way of identifying a source so that readers can locate it, verify it, and connect it to the statement or data being cited. A notable feature of TS ISO 690 is its deterministic citation system: a citation produced according to the framework can be uniquely mapped back to the defined source elements. This makes the approach suitable for multilingual use and for machine-parseable citations that can support consistent citation styles.
What is explicitly outside the scope
The document does not define a data model for machine-readable citations, although such a model may be specified elsewhere or in a later edition. It also does not address legal citations, such as references to cases, statutes, or treatises, because those conventions are often jurisdiction-specific. Likewise, it does not recommend which kinds of information resources should or should not be cited, or discuss the risks of citing sources such as social media.
As a result, TS ISO 690 is best understood as a flexible framework for reference practice across disciplines and media types, rather than a narrow style guide for one publication format. It is especially relevant where source diversity, cross-language use, and repeatable citation output matter.
- Publication Date: 30.09.2021
- Standard Status: U (Yürürlükteki Standard/Standard)
- Publisher: TSE
- Document Language: en
- ICS Classification: 01.140.20 Enformasyon Bilimleri
- Pages: 175
- Source Standard: ISO 690:2021
- International Equivalents: ISO 690-EQV
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