FORMATS / IDENTIFIERS / METHODS
Documentary reference library
Find an identifier, unit, HTTP status or data convention, then open the method explaining its use and limits.
193 references · page 2 of 9
| Object to check | Code or notation | Context and use |
|---|---|---|
| Gallica: view 143 can be printed page 111 | bpt6k83037p · f143 · Pagination · OAIRecord · ALTO | BnF documentation gives a concrete mapping for bpt6k83037p: view f143 corresponds to printed page 111. This is the documentation’s published example, not a new API observation. It shows why one “page number” is insufficient. |
| ALTO: two confidence scales running in opposite directions | WC · CC · HPOS / VPOS · CONTENT · ReadingOrder | ALTO 4.4 defines word confidence WC and character confidence CC with opposite endpoints. These are OCR metadata, not measured accuracy for your corpus. |
| IIIF: distinguish the page, its image and its rights | Manifest · Canvas · AnnotationPage · Annotation · rights / requiredStatement | Presentation API 3.0 organises a digitised object’s presentation. A Canvas is a virtual frame, not the image file itself. The diagram shows a typical image-painting path without assuming exactly one image per Canvas. |
| ARK: keep the object, authority and view reference | ark:/ · 12148 · bpt6k83037p · f143 | The Gallica address ark:/12148/bpt6k83037p/f143 has distinct components. ARK is a persistent identifier system. The domain provides access while the assigning authority and assigned name identify an object within its namespace. |
| Digitised heritage: a rights statement is not a licence | InC · NoC-OKLR · CNE · rights URI | RightsStatements.org describes the rights status of cultural objects. Statements complement a provider’s detailed information; they do not license your own creations. These three codes have different meanings. |
| Archives: read the reference with its descriptive level | 3.1.1 · 3.1.3 · 3.1.4 · 3.2.1 · 3.4.1 | ICA’s second edition of ISAD(G), published in 2000, supports multilevel description. Moving from general to specific distinguishes fonds context from the item actually consulted. The references below are sections of that standard. |
| A 1930 ownership mark does not date the book’s printing | Biblia latina · Language · Material · Vollbehr · WDL | This reproduction shows an opening of the Library of Congress Gutenberg Bible, with provenance marks on the inside cover. It comes from WDL7782 as relayed by Wikimedia Commons. Describe the work and this copy’s history separately. |
| Nice 2026: distinguish digital goods from services | NCL(13-2026) · 1–34 · 35–45 · 090717 · 420220 · 420315 | The Nice Classification organises goods and services for marks. When reading a WIPO or TMview record, retain the edition, exact wording and office: a class number alone says too little about the search scope. |
| Locarno: read a design classification | LOC 15 · 32 · 32-01 · 32-02 | An image search for an industrial design can be supplemented with the Locarno Classification. These references use the fifteenth edition, effective from January 2025; they describe a classification without attributing a right to a company. |
| Vienna: decode a mark’s figurative elements | VCL 10 · 2 · 2.5 · 2.5.3 · A 2.5.18 | Nice describes goods and services; Vienna describes figurative elements of marks. The tenth edition has applied since 1 January 2026. This example follows the classification path explained by WIPO, without reproducing a registered logo. |
| ST.3: country, office and international publication | ST.3 · FR / GB · EP · EM · WO / IB | The two letters on an intellectual property document do not always identify a country. WIPO Standard ST.3 also covers organisations. These entries were checked against the August 2026 revision and must be read in their field context. |
| EU register: restore the scope of financial figures | Financial year · Annual costs · Staff costs · Client revenue · Current financial year | The English terms below identify headings in the EU Transparency Register guidelines. Before comparing figures, distinguish own-interest representation, services for clients and accounting periods. Register amounts are declared in euro. |
| HATVP: count records, objectives or contacts | Entrée en communication · Objet · Fiche d’activités · Responsables publics · Dépenses | The French labels are those used in HATVP documentation. A register row does not necessarily represent a meeting. The FAQ and October 2023 practical sheet explain the reporting unit, which must be understood before actor mapping or data joins. |
| Sentinel-2: the 13 bands have different native spacing | B01 · B02 · B03 · B04 · B05 · B06 · B07 · B08 · B8A · B09 · B10 · B11 · B12 | MSI acquires four bands at 10 m, six at 20 m and three at 60 m. This table describes native acquisition, not the pixel size of any export. Spectral descriptions are indicative; exact responses depend on the instrument. The diagram compares the same 60 m square extent: 36 cells at 10 m, 9 at 20 m or 1 at 60 m. |
| SCL: a class code is not a probability | 0 · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 | The Sentinel-2 L2A scene-classification mask contains codes 0 to 11. The technical names below follow the consulted Copernicus table. SCL is produced at 20 m and may be resampled; it is not a continuous land-cover measurement. |
| NASA GIBS: requested date, latency and displayed version | std · nrt · best · Time · TileMatrixSet | Worldview uses GIBS visualizations. To retain an image as evidence, identify the layer and processing source, not just the selected day. These terms belong to GIBS services; their effects depend on the available layer. |
| NUTS 2024: Paris and Île-de-France have different scopes | NUTS 2024 · FR · FR1 · FR10 · FR101 | These codes and levels were checked in the GISCO NUTS 2024 file properties on 22 October 2026. They are statistical units; no population figure is attached here. GISCO’s LEVL_CODE includes the country at level 0. |
| OpenStreetMap: a parent version does not freeze all geometry | node · way · relation · version · timestamp | Type plus identifier distinguishes OSM objects. Reconstructing a boundary at a given date requires more: geometry may depend on references to other objects whose versions evolve separately. |
| IGN: a GNSS height is not directly an altitude | h · H · h → H · NGF-IGN69 · NGF-IGN78 | Two vertical values in metres can have different origins. IGN distinguishes ellipsoidal height from altitude in a vertical system. This complements horizontal-coordinate checks before comparing terrain or elevation. |
| Crossref: five clocks for one reference | from-created-date · from-deposit-date · from-index-date · from-online-pub-date · from-print-pub-date | These names are Crossref API date filters, not five dates necessarily present in every record. Choose a filter for the question: publication, metadata receipt or index synchronization. |
| PubMed: follow editorial links in the right direction | RetractionIn · RetractionOf · ErratumIn · ErratumFor · ExpressionOfConcernIn · ExpressionOfConcernFor | Here A is the affected article and N the editorial notice. Link codes distinguish the record receiving a notice from the record publishing it. Open both records and read the notice before describing the status. |
| DataCite: read a relation from the described resource | IsNewVersionOf · IsPreviousVersionOf · IsVersionOf · HasVersion · IsSupplementTo · IsSupplementedBy | In DataCite Schema 4.7, A is the resource whose metadata you read and B the linked resource. The relation type describes A relative to B. Diagram letters are teaching roles, not invented DOIs or datasets. |
| DataCite: distinguish license text, code and URI | rightsList · rights · rightsUri · rightsIdentifier · rightsIdentifierScheme · schemeUri | Schema 4.7 describes rights without confusing a license name with its standardized identifier. These fields use JSON spelling; XML differs in places, for example rightsURI. |
| ROR: a display name is not a certified legal name | names[].types · names[].types · names[].types · names[].types · status · relationships[].type | ROR Schema 2.1 describes several name forms. To match an older or multilingual affiliation, retain the value, type and language where stated. Do not reduce the whole record to its heading. |
From format to fact: three separate checks
Recognise the format
An identifier matching a pattern or checksum can still refer to the wrong entity. A format check catches typing errors; it does not verify the holder.
Find the right object
Open the corresponding register or document. Compare its name, scope, version and period with your question. Retain technical identifiers without translating them.
Qualify the conclusion
Separate what the source declares, what you observed and what remains unestablished. A value without a unit, period or definition cannot support a reliable comparison.
Notation examples explain a rule. They are neither certification nor a live check of your dossier.
Check documentary identifiers