Document:

It is considered as document any support, be it printed or not, possible to be describedbibliographically. Within the context of the LILACS methodology, a document can be: a collection of monograph, a monograph, a chapter of a monograph, a thesis, dissertation, a chapter of a thesis, dissertation, an article of a journal, a report, a paper presented in a scientific meeting, a film, a tape recording, a musical or nonmusical sound record, a photograph, a map, an object, etc.

Conventional document:

Work/Informational item published and distributed through the formal publication channels (commercial, governmental or academic editors).

Non-conventional document:

Work/Informational item issued in an informal way. It is not published formally, this is, does not have a responsible publisher, is usually published with a limited number of copies, is not standardized, do not follow the formal publication and distribution channels and, for this characteristics, can not be considered as a conventional document.

Data element:

All the information that characterizes a document is considered a data element. For example, data elements include the name of the author, the title, a descriptor, etc. Data elements are transcribed in the appropriate areas or fields available in LILACS format.

Data field:

The data field is used for the transcription of one or more data elements and is identified in the LILACS format with a number. For example, field 10 is used for the entry of the name of the author of a document. A data field can contain one or more subfields.

Data subfield:

It is a part of a data field separately identified and that contains a data element. It is identified in the LILACS format by the symbol ^ followed by a letter or a number.

Characteristics of a data field:

a) In relation to entry:

♦ A data field can be defined as mandatory, essential, or optional.
♦ Data fields characterized as mandatory should always be entered.
♦ Essential data fields should be entered whenever there is an established condition or
whenever the information can be obtained from the document analyzed.
♦ Optional data fields should be entered at the criteria of the documentalist in charge of
the description.

b) In relation to length:

♦ A data field can be of fixed or variable length.
♦ A fixed length data field is that whose data element has a predefined length.
♦ A variable length data field is that whose data element has a non-determined length.

c) In relation to repeatable fields:

♦ A data field is repeatable when it permits the recording of several data elements.
♦ Non-repeatable data fields indicate that the data element cannot occur more than once.

d) In relation to editing:

♦ A data field can be enetered automatically, under control or freely.
♦ Automatic entry: when the system fills in the data automatically. Example: the record
creation date.
♦ Controlled entry: when there are tables with pre-defined values or codes that must be
consulted before the field is entered. Example: language codes.
♦ Free entry: the text is the responsibility of the cataloguer.
♦ Fields can be editable of non editable. Some fields with pre-defined values enable the
cataloguer to make a changes.